Japan, France agree to step up coordination on Hormuz, Iran war

TOKYO, April 1 (Reuters) - Japan and France agreed on Wednesday to coordinate closely in pushing for an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.

"Because the international situation is so challenging, I believe there is great significance in the leaders of Japan and France deepening their personal ties and making our cooperation even stronger," Takaichi said after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Tokyo on security ties and industrial cooperation.

With the Middle East conflict now in its fifth week, Japan, France and other countries are grappling with rising energy costs. Unless the conduit for about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows reopens, they could face shortages of petroleum products.

Japan, which normally gets around ​90% of its ⁠oil from the Middle East, has begun drawing on its oil reserves to cushion the economic blow.

Speaking alongside Takaichi, Macron said he shared her position on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the strait.

France has held talks with dozens of countries as it seeks proposals for a mission to reopen the waterway once the conflict ends. Japan has said it could consider dispatching minesweepers, though the scope of any role would be constrained by its pacifist constitution.

The two leaders also said they would pursue closer security ties in the Indo-Pacific and signed agreements on cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, civilian nuclear technology and artificial intelligence.