This file photo shows the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. (Mainichi/Shin Yamamoto)

       TOKYO -- Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to help workers locally employed at the Japanese Embassy and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Afghanistan evacuate from the country.

       The ministry indicated the policy during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s Foreign Affairs Division meeting on Aug. 19. The ministry is moving to quickly respond to escalating tensions as local people who were cooperating with Japan's activities could possibly be harmed as the Taliban Islamic religious-political movement takes power nationwide.

       In addition to dozens of local employees at the embassy, numerous personnel hired locally by JICA, which has worked on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, are subject to the assistance. The Foreign Ministry intends to check their desire to leave Afghanistan and, if affirmative, which country they seek to move to. It will then decide on a response with a view to accepting them in Japan. LDP Foreign Affairs Division chairperson Masahisa Sato demanded the ministry hurry to support the evacuation, saying, "If Japan's response to local staff is considered cold, that may affect future humanitarian and development assistance."

       Japan's decision not to send a Self-Defense Forces' airplane to evacuate the embassy employees also became a topic of discussion at the meeting. A ministry official explained, "Because the security situation rapidly deteriorated, we judged that using other countries' military planes would be safer, faster and more effective."

       Though the Japanese Embassy has been temporarily closed since Aug. 15, and 12 Japanese employees were evacuated to the United Arab Emirates by a British aircraft on Aug. 17, locally employed staff workers could not board the plane for reasons including the military aircraft's passenger capacity. Meanwhile, European countries and the United States have been evacuating local staff members together with their own citizens.

       (Japanese original by Yusuke Kaite, Political News Department)

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