Japan to work with U.S., others for safe Hormuz, Motegi tells Rubio

TOKYO - Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Monday Japan will collaborate with the United States and others for safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, during phone talks with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

The conversation came after U.S. President Donald Trump urged countries via social media to dispatch warships to the strait to ensure the safety of the vital energy shipping route, but such a request was not made during the foreign ministers' conversation, a Foreign Ministry source said.