Japan's naval dispatch to Mideast seen as "product of compromise"

Japan's decision to send its navy to the Middle East for information-gathering activities, instead of participating in a U.S.-led coalition, is seen as a "product of compromise" by experts.In the weeks leading up to the government's formal approval for the dispatch on Friday, Tokyo had to play a delicate balancing act between avoiding tensions with its longtime ally Washington and maintaining its traditionally friendly ties with Tehran.Blaming Iran for attacks on oil tankers in May and June in the Gulf region, the United States has sought Japan and other countries to join the coalition for …READ FULL ARTICLE