Japan condemns Israel's attack on Iran for escalating situation
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday condemned Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets, while vowing to work with other Group of Seven members to ease tensions in the Middle East.
Ishiba told reporters that Israel's move was "totally intolerable" and "extremely regrettable," adding, "Any actions that could further escalate the situation must be refrained from," in reference to Iran's retaliatory offensive.
He also said he will explain Japan's position on the issue at the upcoming two-day G7 summit in Canada from Monday. Resource-poor Japan has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Iran, as it has long depended on the country for crude oil.
On Friday, Japan's Foreign Ministry raised its danger advisory for Iran to level 3, which urges nationals to "avoid all travel."
For areas bordering Pakistan and Iraq, the level 4 alert -- the highest possible -- remains in place, advising nationals to "evacuate and avoid all travel."
Around 400 Japanese nationals have been living in Iran in recent years, the ministry said, suggesting they consider leaving the country.
The ministry also upgraded its danger advisory for Israel to level 3 or higher across the entire country, citing the likelihood of retaliation by Iran.
Earlier in the day, Israel said it had conducted strikes on "dozens of military targets" in Iran, including nuclear facilities, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying in a video statement that the military operation would "continue for as many days as it takes to remove" the threat.
Israel is believed to be backed by Japan's close security ally, the United States. Tokyo, meanwhile, has pursued a balanced diplomatic approach toward Israel and other Middle Eastern nations.
The government of U.S. President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January with a pledge to block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, has engaged in negotiations with Tehran, which has insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya separately said at a press conference that peace and stability in the Middle East is "extremely important" for his country, calling on all parties to exercise "utmost restraint."
Iwaya also said the government will take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in the region.
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(AP) -- Israel's sweeping attack across Iran struck at the heart of Tehran's nuclear program, delivering a blow to the country's ability to enrich uranium and potentially setting its nuclear ambitions back by months or years. As well as killing key military figures and nuclear scientists, the Israeli strikes destroyed part of a plant that was enriching uranium to levels far beyond the requirements for nuclear-fueled power stations. The attacks also destroyed backup power for the underground section of the plant, potentially damaging more sensitive equipment. Iran's nuclear program has progressed rapidly since 2018, when the U.S. withdrew from a deal to limit Tehran's capacity to enrich uranium, which is necessary to build a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its program is peaceful, but the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. Nuclear regulators said the assault was unlikely to lead to increased levels of radiation, even at the site where part of the fuel-enrichment plant was destroyed. Here's a closer look at the attack and its likely effects on Iran's nuclear efforts. What impact will the attacks have on Iran's nuclear program? There is "no question" Israel's attacks did substantial damage, said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iran's nuclear program at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. David Albright, a nuclear weapons expert, speculated that the initial wave of attacks could set back any Iranian attempt to develop a nuclear weapon by about a year. A key question, Hinz said, is whether Israel also targeted suppliers of specialist components such as centrifuges and subcontractors. 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On Thursday, Israel struck Iran's main and oldest facility in Natanz, 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, which was protected by anti-aircraft batteries, fencing and Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The IAEA's chief, Rafael Grossi, told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the above-ground part of the plant where uranium was enriched up to 60% was destroyed, along with electrical infrastructure, including a substation, the main electric power supply building, the emergency power supply and backup generators. Grossi said there were no changes to radiation levels following the attack or any indication of damage to the underground section of the plant. That part of the facility is buried to protect it from airstrikes and contains the bulk of Natanz's enrichment facilities, with 10,000 centrifuges that enrich uranium up to 5%, Albright said. However, Grossi said, the loss of power may have damaged centrifuges. There is a good chance the strikes still caused "massive damage," Hinz said because many of the centrifuges were probably operating at the time of the strike. Centrifuges, Albright said, "don't like vibration," and the shock waves or loss of power could break delicate parts when they are rotating at high speed. What about the Fordo nuclear site? Most of Iran's centrifuges are in Natanz, the experts said, because a lot of them are required to enrich uranium to 5% -- which is the maximum level normally used for nuclear-fueled power stations. But, buried under a huge mountain at Fordo, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, is another nuclear facility where Iran is also enriching uranium to 60%, which is only a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. According to the IAEA, Tehran has the largest number of its most powerful centrifuges at Fordo. An Iranian news outlet close to the government reported Friday that two explosions were heard near the Fordo site. 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Although Grossi said part of the enrichment facility at Natanz was destroyed, he noted that radiation levels had not spiked. Even if radiation did leak, experts said, the amount would be unlikely to pose a risk to people in the region or even those near the facilities that got hit. "Very little uranium will be released in these kind of attacks," Albright said. Uranium itself is not especially toxic, he said, and is common in parts of the environment. A person standing near an enrichment facility with a leak would probably be exposed to no more radiation than someone who took several transatlantic flights, which receive slightly higher radiation because radiation doses are larger at high altitudes, he said. In order to become sick, someone would have to ingest large quantities of uranium, Albright said, pointing out that the element can be found naturally in seawater and the earth's crust. Rather than radiation, the greater risk might be from fluorine, which is used to enrich uranium and could have been deadly to those nearby if released during an attack. Fluorine is mixed with the uranium during enrichment to turn it into a gas called uranium hexafluoride. It is extremely volatile, will quickly corrode and can burn the skin. It is especially deadly if inhaled.
