Japan Sending Military Aircraft to Support Evacuation of Citizens From Israel

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the first day of the three-day G7 summit at Schloss Elmau, Germany on June 26, 2022. Sean Gallup/Pool/Getty Images

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that his country will dispatch military aircraft to Djibouti to facilitate the safe evacuation of around 1,300 Japanese citizens from war-torn Israel.

Mr. Kishida told reporters that Japan will send a Self-Defense Forces aircraft to Djibouti after completing all the “necessary arrangements” to support the evacuation, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Prior to his remarks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that Japan would arrange a charter flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 14 to help Japanese citizens leave Israel.

“We decided to arrange a charter flight to help citizens leave the country and ensure their safety,” Mr. Matsuni told reporters on Oct. 13, according to The Asahi Shimbun.

More than 1,300 civilians in Israel have been killed, and thousands more have been injured as Hamas terrorists continued to rampage Israel. There have been no reported fatalities of Japanese nationals in Israel.

Numerous airlines—including American Airlines and United Airlines—have halted flights to and from Israel because of the conflict, which has included Hamas firing rockets, some of which have hit Ben-Gurion International Airport, located about 10 miles southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel.

Mr. Matsuno said that while there are still commercial flights getting in and out of Israel, “airline companies are limiting the number of flights more than usual” amid the ongoing war.

“The situation (in Israel) is very fluid,” he said at a press briefing in Tokyo.

Japanese nationals are also encouraged to board an emergency flight organized by the South Korean government, which is scheduled to take off from Tel Aviv’s airport on Oct. 13 and make its way to Seoul, South Korea, via Sri Lanka, according to the report.

‘Brutal, Indiscriminate Attacks’

On Oct. 12, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa spoke on the phone with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, during which she condemned Hamas’ “brutal” and “indiscriminate attacks” on Israel.

Ms. Kamikawa said that “Israel has a right to defend itself and its people in accordance with international law.” She emphasized that Japan hopes that all parties will de-escalate as soon as possible.

On his part, Mr. Cohen affirmed Israel’s commitment to providing support to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals amid the ongoing war, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

Japan has previously condemned “the launch of a number of rockets as well as infiltration into the Israeli territories from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other Palestinian militants.”

“Japan offers its condolences to the bereaved families and expresses its heartfelt sympathies to the injured,” the ministry said in a statement, while calling on all parties involved to “exercise maximum restraint.”

Smoke in the Rehovot area as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip, in Israel, on Oct. 7, 2023. Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters

Israel declared a state of war after Hamas launched land, air, and sea attacks against it on Oct. 7. The Israeli military has responded with its heaviest bombardment of Gaza, the stronghold of Hamas.

The death toll in Gaza has passed 1,500. On Oct. 13, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged Palestinians in Gaza City to evacuate and move south within the next 24 hours for protection.

“In the following days, the IDF will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians,” the announcement reads, in part.

Nearly 150 members of Congress have called on the Biden administration to use all available resources, including chartering flights, to evacuate Americans seeking to leave Israel.

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Oct. 10, some 146 bipartisan members of Congress said they received “harrowing reports” from constituents trapped in Israel since the terror attack occurred.

“While we appreciate the steps the Biden administration is taking to provide additional security assistance to Israel, we urge the State Department to use all resources at its disposal, including charter flights, to help those Americans that remain in Israel and wish to return to the United States,” the legislators stated.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that U.S. officials have been in contact with U.S. citizens in Israel and, in some cases, have helped to facilitate their departure from the country.

Jackson Richman contributed to this report.