The Japanese government will operate chartered flights from Oman and Saudi Arabia on Sunday to transport Japanese citizens in the Middle East back home amid growing regional tensions in the wake of the escalating conflict between the U.S.-Israeli forces and Iran, officials said Friday.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference Friday that a Self-Defense Forces transport aircraft will be on standby in the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, to prepare for unexpected developments in the Middle East.
The chartered flights will be available for Japanese expatriates and their family members, with the government shouldering the costs of their travel. As the number of applicants is expected to exceed capacity, priority may be given to elderly people and pregnant women.
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