Photo/Illutration Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Tokyo has issued its highest-level evacuation advisory for Japanese nationals in Iran and is coordinating ways to get them out of harm’s way, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said June 17.

There have been no reports of Japanese casualties in areas of Iran hit by Israeli missile strikes as of 5 p.m. on June 17, the Foreign Ministry said. But there are global fears the conflict could escalate and expand.

“The situation is becoming increasingly tense, and we will work with the utmost sense of urgency to protect Japanese nationals,” Iwaya said at a news conference.

Around 280 Japanese nationals are currently in Iran, according to the ministry.

Iwaya said the Japanese government is coordinating a means of relocating Japanese outside of Iran and may seek cooperation with third countries.

Since Iran’s airports are now closed, evacuation by land to neighboring countries is being considered, a senior ministry official said.

The ministry said the Israeli military on June 16 announced via social media and other means that it would attack certain areas of Tehran, the capital of Iran. It advised civilians to evacuate from those places.

In response, Japanese Embassy staff in Tehran contacted Japanese residents in the target areas by phone and email, urging them to flee.

According to Iwaya, the ministry provided assistance in bringing the Japanese to a safe location on June 16.

The following day, it issued the Level 4 evacuation advisory.

BUSES TO JORDAN FROM ISRAEL

The ministry has also issued a Level 3 travel advisory for most parts of Israel.

It said on June 17 that it plans to use chartered buses to take Japanese from the Jewish state to neighboring Jordan.

The bus operation is expected to start on June 19.

JAPAN CALLS FOR CALM

Iwaya said he is “deeply concerned about the exchange of aggression” between Iran and Israel.

“Japan urges all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and calm the situation down,” he said.

Iwaya said he conveyed Japan’s concerns in a June 16 telephone talk with Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s minister of foreign affairs.

Iwaya also said Japan will continue to ask Israel to exercise “maximum restraint.”

CORPORATE ACTION

Japanese companies are working to ensure the safety of their employees in Israel and Iran and are also considering evacuation measures.

Some have told their employees to refrain from taking business trips to the Middle East.

Marubeni Corp., a general trading company, has confirmed the safety of its lone employee in Tehran, who could soon be instructed to leave the country.

Another general trading company, Mitsui & Co., also has one employee stationed in Tehran. The company is on standby in cooperation with the Japanese Embassy in Tehran and plans to evacuate the employee from Iran as soon as the airport reopens.

JGC Holdings Corp., a major engineering company, is building factories in countries neighboring Iran, such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Construction has continued in these countries, a JGC Holdings representative said, but the company is calling on group members to “refrain from making unnecessary business trips from Japan.”

According to Teikoku Databank Ltd., 95 Japanese companies were operating in Israel and 26 in Iran as of August 2024.

(This article was compiled from reports written by Shiki Iwasawa, Takehiro Tomoda and Azusa Kato.)

Related News