Japan’s foreign ministry has announced steps to help Japanese nationals stranded in some Middle Eastern countries to evacuate. Airspace in the region is largely closed due to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The ministry said on Thursday that those wishing to leave Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will first be transported by land to Saudi Arabia or Oman.
Officials say airports in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and Oman’s capital Muscat remain operational. They say the evacuees will be flown to Tokyo on government-chartered aircraft.
The ministry says exact dates, times and other detailed information will be sent to Japanese nationals who have submitted an overseas residential registration. It says travelers who have registered with the ministry’s overseas safety email service will get the notice as well.
The ministry has also raised the level of its travel advisory to three, the second highest on a scale of one to four, for six countries — Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman, and Riyadh Province and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
Level three urges people to avoid all travel.
AloJapan.com