Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese Air Self-Defense Force transport plane departed for the Maldives on Sunday to support the evacuation of Japanese nationals in the Middle East amid an escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. The SDF plane will stand ready at an airport in the Indian Ocean island nation to respond to unforeseen circumstances, such as issues with chartered planes arranged by the Japanese government for the evacuation mission. At around 2:55 a.m. on Sunday, the KC-767 aerial refueling and transportation aircraft took off from the ASDF Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. According to the Defense Ministry, the Maldives is one of the stopovers for SDF planes flying to the Middle East and Europe for refueling and other purposes. The KC-767, which has a capacity of about 200 people, is carrying some 30 SDF personnel, who will carry out their mission under Lt. Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, head of the SDF’s Joint Operations Command, which integrates the Ground, Maritime and Air SDFs. On Friday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi asked Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to undertake preparatory measures for transporting Japanese nationals overseas based on Article 84 of the SDF law, and Koizumi issued an operational order to Nagumo. The government plans to operate charter flights from Oman and Saudi Arabia to Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Sunday, evacuating Japanese citizens and their families staying in the area. Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru explained at a press conference on Friday that the dispatch of the SDF aircraft is a precautionary measure in preparation for potential deterioration of the situation and aircraft malfunction. On Thursday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry raised its travel alert for six Middle East countries to Level 3, the second highest on its four-tier system, urging Japanese nationals to avoid traveling to the nations. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
SDF Aircraft Departs for Maldives to Support Evacuation Mission
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