FILE PHOTO: Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga speaks at a news conference after the reshuffling of the Japanese cabinet at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East but there is no change in its plan to deploy the Self-Defense Forces to the region to ensure the safety of its ships, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday.

Tensions have erupted in the region in the wake of the U.S. military strike in Iraq which killed one of Iran’s top military commanders.