As the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas continues, the Japanese government deployed a Self-Defense Force transport plane to Israel and evacuated a total of 83 people, including Japanese and Koreans.
According to Kyodo News on the 20th, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force KC767 aerial refueling and transport aircraft flew from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Jordan early in the morning, carrying 83 people, including Japanese and Koreans.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the 83 people on board were divided by nationality: 60 Japanese, 4 foreign family members, 18 Koreans, and 1 foreign family member. All passengers are scheduled to arrive at Tokyo Haneda Airport in the early morning of the 21st after passing through a stopover.
On the 14th, when Korea evacuated Korean residents from Israel on a military transport aircraft, it flew Japanese nationals, and this time Japan repaid the favor by transporting Koreans.
The Japanese government is said to have inquired in advance about Korean citizens boarding the plane in case there were spare seats on board.
Regarding this transport operation, the media said, “When the Korean government evacuated 163 Korean residents in the area on an Air Force transport plane on the 14th, 51 Japanese citizens and their families were transported together for free, which also had an impact on Koreans boarding Japanese transport planes.” and analyzed.
The Ministry of Defense has prepared to evacuate Japanese citizens in Israel by dispatching a total of two aircraft, including a KC767 aerial refueling and transport aircraft belonging to the Air Self-Defense Force, and a C-2 transport aircraft, to Jordan and one other C-2 transport aircraft to Djibouti, East Africa, where the Self-Defense Force base is located. . Two C-2 transport aircraft will remain on standby in preparation for future transport.
On the 15th, the Japanese government evacuated eight Korean citizens from Israel to the United Arab Emirates using a chartered plane. However, on the 14th, a day earlier, when the Korean government transported 51 Japanese nationals and their families on an Air Force transport plane, criticism was raised in Japan that the Japanese government’s response was slower than that of Korea.
In addition, although boarding a Korean transport plane was free, there were voices of criticism even in Japan about paying 30,000 yen (about 290,000 won) per person for a Japanese government charter flight.
As the controversy continued, the Japanese government appears to have decided to deploy an Air Self-Defense Force transport plane to evacuate Korean residents free of charge.
Choi Jae-ho,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.