INTERVIEW: Iran ties could be Japan's lifeline if crisis deepens: expert

TOKYO - Resource-poor Japan is facing mounting pressure due to the recent tensions in the Middle East, shifting power balances among major nations and the need to strengthen its own defense capabilities.

Japan should leverage its traditionally friendly ties with Iran if the energy crisis worsens amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Tsuneo Watanabe, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.