Japan Prepares Emergency Evacuation

Mar 04, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - The Japanese government is considering the use of chartered aircraft to evacuate its citizens from the Middle East as tensions in the region escalate, with around 8,000 Japanese nationals currently staying across several countries.

New developments have emerged regarding possible evacuation measures from the region. While the government has been working to confirm the safety of Japanese nationals on the ground, officials are now also examining the option of charter flights in addition to land-based evacuations.

According to government estimates, approximately 8,000 Japanese nationals are currently residing in Middle Eastern countries. The breakdown includes about 5,300 in the United Arab Emirates, 1,010 in Israel, 718 in Saudi Arabia, 702 in Qatar, 97 in Oman, and around 200 in Iran, along with smaller numbers in surrounding countries that have come under attack from Iran.

So far, five Japanese nationals, including tourists, have evacuated from Israel. They traveled by bus arranged by the Japanese government to neighboring Jordan.

Meanwhile, two Japanese nationals wishing to leave Iran have evacuated by bus from the capital Tehran to Azerbaijan.

Aoi Minoru: The Japanese government has begun considering not only land routes but also air evacuation options, while the United States has already seen 9,000 of its citizens leave the region.

Patrick Harlan: Americans are citizens of the country that carried out the attack, so they likely feel a stronger sense of threat and danger than people from other nations. Going forward, there may be attacks targeting not only facilities but also individual Americans, including incidents such as kidnappings or abductions, which is why many are trying to escape on their own. However, preparations by the U.S. government, such as arranging charter flights and establishing evacuation systems, have been slow, and many Americans are angry about that.

Among Japanese companies operating in the region, JGC Holdings, which is involved in constructing oil-related facilities in the UAE, said the situation does not yet require an immediate evacuation but has instructed staff to reconfirm evacuation plans in preparation for a worst-case scenario.

Source: FNN

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