57% oppose sending SDF to Middle East amid tensions with Iran

Over half of voters oppose dispatching Japan's Self-Defense Forces to the Middle East for a U.S.-led coalition to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.In the nationwide telephone poll conducted Saturday and Sunday, 57.1 percent said Japan should not send the SDF to the region, while 28.2 percent said it should.The United States has urged Japan to join the coalition but Tokyo is cautious about sending the Maritime Self-Defense Force to the strait as it could undermine its friendly ties with Iran.The Japanese government…READ FULL ARTICLE