An Air Self-Defense Force aircraft departed for Djibouti on Friday to possibly evacuate Japanese nationals from Sudan, where fighting has intensified.
The C-130 transport plane left Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture for Djibouti. At a press conference earlier the same day, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the aircraft will be on standby in Djibouti, and that the government will make a final decision on whether to dispatch it to an airport in Sudan after assessing the unrest in the northeastern African country.
Hamada also said more ASDF transport planes -- a C-2 and a KC-767 -- will be dispatched to Djibouti as soon as they are ready. On Thursday night, five Self-Defense Forces members departed for Djibouti on a commercial flight to gather information and coordinate in the field. The SDF have a base in Djibouti, where about 180 Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel are stationed.
