Japan PM urges free passage through Hormuz in Iran president phone talks

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday she called for the free and safe passage of ships through the all-but-closed Strait of Hormuz in phone talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

"We will strive to ensure that the transit of Japanese ships occurs smoothly and with greater ease," Pezeshkian told her, while seeking Tokyo's help to secure essential goods, medical equipment and medicines through the use of Iran's financial assets in Japan, according to the state-run news agency IRNA.