Japan and France agree to coordinate on Hormuz security and Iran war

Japan, which normally gets around 90 per cent of its oil from the Middle East, has begun drawing on its oil reserves to cushion the economic blow.

Speaking alongside Takaichi, Macron said he shared her position on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the strait.

France has held talks with dozens of countries as it seeks proposals for a mission to reopen the waterway once the conflict ends. Japan has said it could consider dispatching minesweepers, though the scope of any role would be constrained by its pacifist constitution.

The two leaders also said they would pursue closer security ties in the Indo-Pacific and signed agreements on cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, civilian nuclear technology and artificial intelligence.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)