Japan evacuates over 100 citizens from Middle East

On March 8, more than 100 Japanese and foreign nationals were evacuated from Middle East regions, arriving in Japan on a charter flight from Oman, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

Most evacuees travelled overland to Muscat from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Caliber.Az reports via Japanese media.

Another 13 Japanese citizens, including embassy staff in Tehran, and one family member of a foreign national, were evacuated by bus from Iran via Azerbaijan. Some Japanese nationals also arrived in Riyadh from Kuwait and Bahrain.

In a post on X, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi assured that the government will continue supporting citizens wishing to return home.

先ほど、アラブ首長国連邦及びオマーンに滞在していた計１０７人の邦人等を乗せた政府チャーター機が、オマーンの首都マスカットから、成田空港に到着しました。

滞在先からの陸路移動に加え、長時間のフライトで、皆様大変お疲れだと思います。改めてご健康を祈念いたします。…

— 高市早苗 (@takaichi_sanae) March 8, 2026

A KC-767 refuelling aircraft from Japan’s Self-Defence Forces (SDF) has been deployed for potential further evacuation to the Maldives, and charter flights are ready if regular routes become unavailable.

The evacuation is being conducted by the SDF at the request of the Foreign and Defence Ministers. Japan previously evacuated its citizens from Israel in 2023 and Lebanon in 2024.

By Jeyhun Aghazada