Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan expressed gratitude for the news that Japanese nationals staying in the Middle East evacuated on a South Korean military transport plane together with South Korean citizens.
On the 15th, Takaichi said on her X (formerly Twitter) account, "Japanese nationals arrived in Seoul aboard a South Korean military transport plane," adding, "I am deeply grateful to the South Korean government and the South Korean military."
Earlier, the South Korean Air Force's KC-330 Cygnus multirole aerial refueling transport aircraft landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam at about 5:59 p.m. the previous day carrying a total of 211 people, including 204 South Koreans and 2 Japanese, from Saudi Arabia. After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense in South Korea announced this news, Takaichi also appeared to express her gratitude.
Takaichi also said that a chartered plane recently deployed by the Japanese government helped with the evacuation by carrying 12 South Koreans as well. She added, "I would like to reiterate my thanks to officials in both Japan and South Korea."
Previously, when armed conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas in 2023, the South Korean and Japanese governments cooperated in evacuations, including by carrying each other's nationals on their respective transport aircraft. In September 2024, the two countries signed a memorandum on cooperation for protecting nationals overseas.