The number of Japan-related vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf has fallen to 37 from 45 at the start of the Iran war, with seven ships having transited the Strait of Hormuz and one transferred to a non-Japanese operator, according to the Japanese Shipowners' Association.
Once safe passage has been confirmed, including the absence of mines, individual shipping companies will decide when to resume transit through the Strait, a spokesperson for the association said on Monday.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on social media on Friday that a vessel carrying three Japanese crew members had exited the gulf and was headed to Japan. The vessel was not identified.
With its departure, all 24 Japanese crew members who were in the gulf when the war erupted have now left the region.
As vessels from many other countries also remain in the gulf, Japan is proposing that official bodies such as the International Maritime Organisation should take the lead in establishing fair rules to ensure an orderly departure from the gulf, the spokesperson said.
The immediate priority is securing the passage of vessels currently stranded in the gulf. At present, there are no plans to send ships through the strait to load cargo, the spokesperson said.
The number of ships that passed through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Sunday after Iran announced it had again closed the waterway, citing Israeli and US violations of the interim peace deal, shipping data showed.
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by David Dolan)
