87 Japanese nationals, family members evacuated from Iran, Israel

KYODO NEWS - 8 minutes ago - 11:37 | All, Japan, World
A total of 87 Japanese nationals and their family members have evacuated from Iran and Israel amid intensifying tensions in the Middle East, the Japanese government said Friday.
The evacuees arrived by bus in Azerbaijan and Jordan as local airports remained closed and none had health issues, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.
Of the 87 including six foreigners, 66 left Tehran and arrived in Baku early Friday, while 21 departed from Tel Aviv and reached Amman on Thursday afternoon, the Foreign Ministry said.
The government is arranging a bus to evacuate more people from Iran as early as Saturday, Iwaya said.
"As the situation remains very tense, the government will protect Japanese citizens with a high sense of urgency," he said.
Around 220 Japanese nationals were in Iran and around 1,000 remained in Israel after the evacuations, according to the ministry.
Japan also plans to dispatch two Self-Defense Forces planes to a base in Djibouti in eastern Africa to evacuate nationals if airports in Iran and Israel reopen, according to Iwaya.
Israel and Iran have continued to exchange strikes since the former attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and military targets last week alleging Tehran was close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, a claim denied by the Islamic Republic.
Related coverage:
Japan to send 2 defense force planes for possible Mideast airlift
Japan urges all nationals in Iran to evacuate amid Israeli attacks

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