With a comprehensive attempt under way to find a diplomatic solution in Syria, punitive U.S. military strikes planned for its alleged use of chemical weapons last month have been postponed after appearing imminent just a few days ago.
But if Washington decides to ignore the war-weary American public and an extremely skeptical Congress to go ahead with the bombing of over 50 alleged Syrian military targets, Japan faces the prospect of being asked to support its closest ally in a conflict that could spread throughout a region that supplies more than 80 percent of its oil and 30 percent of its natural gas.
Thus, Tokyo faces the tough question of whether to trust Washington's assurances that a military attack would be narrow and limited, and that there would be no need for ground troops. This assumes the intervention would all be over fairly quickly and with no need for ground-based operations.