Aug 23 (NHK) - The Japanese government is planning to send Self-Defense Force aircraft to Afghanistan to evacuate more Japanese nationals and local embassy staff.
Last week, the government evacuated the Japanese embassy's employees in Kabul using a British military plane.
Officials from Japan's foreign and defense ministries left for Afghanistan on Sunday to study the situation there.
Japan's Foreign Ministry says local embassy staff and their families, as well as Japanese who work at international organizations have sought help to leave Afghanistan.
Ministry sources said SDF planes may evacuate more than 500 people.
The sources added that government officials will consider how to move evacuees to an airport in Afghanistan, and to which country or countries they should be taken.