Japan prepares to evacuate citizens from Lebanon, urging nationals to leave Iran too
FAST DOWNLOAD
Japan is preparing to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon. The government is also urging those in Iran to leave as soon as possible, while commercial flights are still operating.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters Friday that Japan’s embassy in Iran renewed its safety advisory to Japanese nationals this week after Iran fired missiles into Israel.
On Thursday, the Japanese Defense Ministry dispatched two C-2 transport aircraft to Jordan to stand by for an evacuation of about 50 Japanese nationals from Lebanon. Iwaya said the government has not decided whether to also dispatch defense aircraft to Iran, where about 440 Japanese citizens are based, but “we will do our utmost so that we can respond to any contingency in order to protect the safety of Japanese citizens.”