Japanese Nationals Evacuated from Sudan

Jiji Press

6:26 JST, April 25, 2023

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Japanese nationals and their spouses totaling 45 people have left Sudan for Djibouti aboard a Japanese Self-Defense Forces aircraft, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday night.

Separately, four other Japanese nationals have been evacuated to Djibouti or Ethiopia from Sudan with the help of France and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Kishida told reporters.

Several Japanese nationals who wish to leave Sudan still remain there, according to Kishida.

“I pay respect and express gratitude to the efforts of embassy staff, SDF personnel and other people who successfully evacuated Japanese nationals in a dangerous and difficult situation,” Kishida said.

He also expressed gratitude to the cooperation of South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Nations and others in the evacuation.

SDF aircraft had been on stand-by in Djibouti waiting to be dispatched to Sudan for the rescue. The operation was the sixth mission to evacuate Japanese nationals abroad with SDF planes, most recently in Afghanistan in 2021.

Kishida told a meeting of ruling party executives earlier on Monday that his government has sent State Foreign Minister Shunsuke Takei to Djibouti for coordination with countries concerned.

“The (Japanese) government will continue to do its best to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and evacuate them,” Kishida said.

“A safe evacuation of people wishing to leave Sudan has become the most pressing challenge for the international community,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi Monday evening called his Saudi Arabian and UAE counterparts to ask for cooperation in the evacuation of Japanese nationals in Sudan