Japan to Send SDF Jet to Maldives for Iran Evacuations; Planes to Be on Standby

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:12 JST, March 7, 2026

The government will dispatch a Self-Defense Forces transport plane to the Indian Ocean island nation of the Maldives in preparation for potential evacuations of Japanese nationals in the Middle East affected by the situation with Iran, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a Friday press conference.