Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may go to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in mid-January as part of a planned trip to the Middle East that is intended to explain Tokyo's plans to send Self-Defense Forces personnel to the region, government sources said Thursday.
The government is considering the dispatch of a destroyer and a P3-C patrol plane to enhance information-gathering capabilities and ensure the safe navigation of ships. The Cabinet is expected to endorse the plan by the end of the year.
Japan is exploring its own contributions in the Middle East that don't involve joining a U.S.-led coalition to guard ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of the U.S. initiative.