Japanese Advised to Leave Iraq Immediately

February 15, 2003

TOKYO — Japan on Friday advised Japanese nationals in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq to leave the country immediately, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said.

"We issued an evacuation advisory for Baghdad in addition to the evacuation advisory issued earlier on other areas of Iraq, as it is taking time for people to leave the country at its borders," Kawaguchi said during a news conference.

The latest travel advisory upgrades the Foreign Ministry's danger level rating for Baghdad to the highest level of strongly advising evacuation. On Jan 23, the ministry issued an advisory recommending Japanese nationals in Baghdad leave, but it had retained the second-highest level of recommending postponing visits to the city.

According to the ministry, as of Friday, there are 36 Japanese nationals in Iraq, including 29 in Baghdad.

"Depending on how the situation progresses, it is expected that it will become even more difficult to leave the country, such as with the suspension of commercial flights and airport closures," the ministry said on issuing the advisory.

The ministry added that depending on the situation, the Japanese staff at the Japanese Embassy in Iraq may also have to withdraw from the country.

Meanwhile, the ministry urged Japanese nationals to "postpone traveling, for whatever reason, to Iraq until the situation stabilizes."

On Monday, the ministry issued a travel advisory for Japanese nationals to postpone visits to Kuwait, the Khafji area of Saudi Arabia, and Israel as well as the West Bank and Gaza, given the increasingly tense situation centering on Iraq.

The ministry also advised Japanese nationals on nonessential stays in Kuwait, the Khafji area of Saudi Arabia, and Israel as well as the West Bank and Gaza to evacuate. The Khafji area of Saudi Arabia is geographically close to Iraq. (Kyodo News)

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