Japan Prepares to Send SDF Aircraft to Middle East for Evacuations

Tokyo, March 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry is stepping up preparations to send Self-Defense Forces aircraft to evacuate Japanese nationals from the Middle East amid rising tensions in the region following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. The ministry “is taking concrete steps,” such as assessing local conditions and considering specific routes for the expected mission, and “will start coordination for evacuation,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in a social media post Thursday. The Japanese government evacuated five Japanese nationals from Israel to neighboring Jordan on Monday and two from Iran to neighboring Azerbaijan on Wednesday, both by land. “We are trying to find needs” for evacuation among the Japanese nationals, a senior SDF official said. According to the Foreign Ministry, some 1,000 Japanese nationals are currently in Israel and about 200 in Iran. “We have yet to decide” whether to send SDF aircraft, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in a press conference Thursday. “We will take all possible measures to protect Japanese citizens, including preparations for evacuations,” he stressed. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]