Japan Evacuates 5 Nationals from Israel to Jordan

Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Monday that it has evacuated five Japanese nationals from Israel to Jordan following the latest U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. According to Japan’s Foreign Ministry, about 1,000 Japanese nationals are in Israel. Of them, five left the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv on a bus bound for Amman, the capital of Jordan. This was the first evacuation involving Japanese citizens since one in June last year amid a clash between Iran and Israel. The Japanese government is preparing to help its nationals wishing to leave Iran as well. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a parliamentary meeting that Tokyo is in contact with nearly all of the roughly 200 Japanese nationals currently in Iran. “We have not received information that they have been harmed in any way,” he added. In its latest strikes, Iran has targeted U.S. military bases in nearby nations. There are about 7,700 Japanese nationals in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Motegi said that the Japanese government has contacted them to check whether they are safe, adding that preparations are underway to launch evacuation operations if necessary. Speaking at a press conference on the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are “preparing to quickly deploy personnel to swiftly and appropriately transport nationals.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]