Overview
- Four government-chartered flights have returned citizens to Japan, with the third from Riyadh carrying 172 people and the fourth from Dubai bringing 276 to Haneda on Wednesday.
- The Riyadh flight included 11 South Korean nationals and one other foreign citizen, the first operational application of the September 2024 Japan–South Korea protection memorandum.
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan is offering spare seats on its charters to Australia, Canada and other partners with similar agreements.
- South Korea reported additional overland movements into Saudi Arabia, including 29 people from Kuwait and 25 from Iraq, and plans to dispatch an extra joint response team.
- Earlier arrivals included 281 evacuees from Riyadh on Tuesday, as passengers described hearing explosions and interception sounds before their departure.