SDF planes fly to Djibouti to aid return of Japan nationals from Israel and Iran

Japan Times

5 hours ago

As the conflict in Israel and Iran continues to intensify, Japan said Thursday it is deploying Self-Defense Forces aircraft to the nearby country of Djibouti to be on standby for a possible air evacuation of Japanese nationals.
'The situation in the Middle East is becoming increasingly tense as Israel and Iran continue to exchange attacks,' said Defense Minister Gen Nakatani. 'Ensuring the safety of Japanese citizens overseas is an important responsibility of the government.'
There are currently around 1,000 Japanese people in Israel and 280 in Iran, according to the Foreign Ministry.
On Thursday morning, under instructions from Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Nakatani issued the order for two C-2 transport aircraft to be dispatched to the East African country as soon as possible once preparations are complete. The ministry plans to deploy 120 SDF members to the area, of which 10 members already set off early Thursday.
'We will do the utmost to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals overseas with a strong sense of vigilance and in close cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and other relevant ministries and agencies,' Nakatani added.
While Japan's embassies in Israel and Iran are currently assisting Japanese nationals with a swift evacuation by land — given that the airports in both countries have closed during the conflict — the SDF aircraft will be on standby in Djibouti if any of them are unable to leave by land.
Since the 2000s, SDF aircraft have been dispatched on eight different occasions to evacuate Japanese nationals overseas, according to the Foreign Ministry. In 2021, for example, SDF aircraft were deployed to Afghanistan following the takeover of the country by the Taliban, with one Japanese national and 14 Afghan workers evacuated.
'The Japanese embassies in Iran and Israel are currently preparing to evacuate (Japanese nationals) by bus to neighboring countries, and although we are unable to provide details for security reasons, we are making arrangements to do so as early as today,' Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Thursday morning.
'We will continue to follow the situation closely and take all possible measures to protect Japanese nationals, including further evacuation assistance,' he added.