*** Japan to send warship to Mideast | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Japan to send warship to Mideast

Japan will send a warship and patrol planes to protect Japanese ships in the Middle East as the situation in the region, from which it sources nearly 90 per cent of its crude oil imports, remains volatile, Japan’s top government spokesman said on Friday.

Under the plan approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet, a helicopter-equipped destroyer and two P-3C patrol planes will be dispatched for information-gathering aimed at ensuring safe passage for Japanese vessels through the region.