Japan to airlift citizens out as tensions soar in Middle East

The Japanese government announced on March 5 that it will evacuate Japanese nationals stranded in the Middle East, arranging charter flights after escalating tensions sparked by the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran led to widespread airport closures.

The evacuation plan involves transporting citizens who wish to leave overland from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to either Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, or Muscat, Oman, where airports are still operating. 

In a related move the same day, the government raised its travel advisory to Level 3, its second-highest alert, for six locations—Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman, urging the public to “avoid nonessential travel.”

Retaliatory attacks have continued since the fighting began on Feb. 28. As the conflict spreads to Persian Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases, Japanese nationals caught in the region are growing increasingly anxious about the future.