In this Aug. 24, 2021 photo, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force C-130 transport plane is seen before its departure from the ASDF's Iruma base in Saitama Prefecture, on a mission to evacuate Japanese nationals and locals working at Japanese organizations from Afghanistan. (Mainichi/Hiroshi Maruyama)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan vowed Tuesday to continue its efforts to evacuate Japanese nationals and local staff at its agencies in Afghanistan, despite ordering the withdrawal of Self-Defense Forces dispatched to Kabul airport for an evacuation mission.

       Tokyo has evacuated only one national and transported 14 Afghans out of the country, but several hundred evacuation seekers, including local staff at the Japanese Embassy and Japan International Cooperation Agency as well as their families, remain in Afghanistan.

       Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi ordered the pullout of the SDF troops on Tuesday as U.S. forces have completed their withdrawal from the war-torn country now in the hands of the Taliban.

       Security in Kabul remains volatile following last week's deadly explosions near the airport. While assessing security on the ground, the government has been looking into possible alternative methods to evacuate Japanese nationals and local staff such as by using commercial airlines, according to government sources.

       "The provision of assistance for Japan-related evacuation seekers remains a task of utmost importance," Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a press conference.

       Many evacuees reportedly failed to reach the airport on their own due to strict Taliban checkpoints and deteriorating security following the explosions last Thursday that killed more than 100 people. Government officials have said a very few number of Japanese remain in Afghanistan.

       Japan decided on the dispatch of SDF aircraft for an evacuation mission on Aug. 23. Twelve Japanese Embassy staff members had fled to Dubai aboard a British military aircraft on Aug. 17, two days after the seizure of power by the Taliban.

       When asked if the timing was right for the SDF dispatch, Motegi defended the government's decision, saying it was made "despite the rapidly changing situations" and he does not think it was late.

       As for the withdrawal of the U.S. forces, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said in a separate news conference Japan "appreciates the efforts made over the years by the United States in Afghanistan" and said Tokyo will "work with the international community for peace and stability" of the conflict-ravaged country.

       Motegi also said Tuesday Japan is considering transferring the temporary office it has set up in Istanbul as a substitute to the closed embassy in Kabul to Doha, the capital of Qatar.

       Noting that Qatar hosts a Taliban political office, the minister said he expects multilateral discussions and negotiations over the situation in Afghanistan will be held in Doha.

       As of Monday, the United States has suspended its diplomatic presence in Kabul and transferred its operations to Doha.

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