SDF aircraft depart for Djibouti to evacuate Japanese nationals

Two Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft left Japan for Djibouti on Saturday to prepare to evacuate Japanese nationals from Israel and Iran.

The C-2 aircraft took off from the ASDF’s Miho base in the western prefecture of Tottori around 2:45 to 3 p.m., heading for the East African country, where the SDF has a base.

At the request of Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Thursday ordered the Self-Defense Forces to prepare to transport Japanese nationals amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

Such a transportation mission using SDF aircraft was last conducted in Lebanon last October.

On Friday, the Foreign Ministry said that a total of 87 Japanese nationals and their family members living in Israel and Iran, were evacuated to neighboring countries by Japanese government-chartered buses.

About 1,000 Japanese nationals are believed to remain in Israel, and some 220 in Iran. The Japanese government plans to conduct a second round of evacuations by bus in Iran as early as Saturday.