Japan sought the understanding of other countries, including China and South Korea, in advance of its decision to send Self-Defense Forces minesweepers to the Middle East after the Gulf War ceasefire in 1991, according to diplomatic records declassified Wednesday.
Before finalizing the dispatch of SDF ships to the Persian Gulf in April that year, Japan had, behind the scenes, sounded out other Asian nations as well on their views on such a move, fearing that doing so could stir up memories of Imperial Japan's militarism, according to the records.
A senior Chinese official was quoted as telling the then-Japanese ambassador to China that "sending the SDF overseas is an extremely sensitive issue in whatever form," but that "we understand and agree that Japan will join in reconstruction work of the Gulf area."