(Observer Network News)
Recently, after the dramatic changes in the situation in Afghanistan, how to safely evacuate its national diaspora has become a difficult problem for governments.
According to the News of the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) on the 23rd, Japanese Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said at a press conference on the same day that Japan has begun to send Self-Defense Force aircraft to Afghanistan for evacuation of overseas Chinese.
Kato also said that although the dispatch of SDF to other countries should generally be subject to prior consent of the countries concerned, due to the tense security situation in Afghanistan, "even if there is no explicit consent [from the Afghan side], there is no problem at the level of international law".
Screenshot of NHK report
NHK said that in view of the recent deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan and the uncertainty of the future, in order to "quickly and safely" help Japanese expatriates who want to leave the country as soon as possible, the Japanese government has begun to send Self-Defense Force aircraft to Afghanistan for evacuation missions. Kato said that a total of 3 Self-Defense Force aircraft will be sent to Afghanistan to evacuate overseas Chinese, and the first aircraft will take off tonight (23rd).
"Japan Economic News" said on the 23rd that the Japanese government held a national security meeting (NSC) at the prime minister's official residence that morning to analyze the situation in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and relevant cabinet members consulted on the need to use SDF aircraft for support.
At a press conference on the same day, Kato also said that "helping people who are willing to leave Afghanistan to evacuate safely is a top priority for the international community." He also said that "close ties with the countries concerned will ensure that nothing goes wrong".
Japan's TBS television station also reported on the 23rd that Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi had ordered the Self-Defense Forces to evacuate overseas Chinese from Afghanistan on the same day
NHK also quoted Kato as saying, "At present, the security of Kabul Airport and its surrounding areas is controlled by the US military, and although the US military has implemented air control measures, aircraft can take off and land normally." At present, no movement has been detected on the Afghan side to obstruct the normal operation of kabul airports. ”
Regarding the legitimacy of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' evacuation of overseas Chinese, Kato said that in view of the relevant provisions of international law, when sending the Self-Defense Forces to other countries, the consent of the parties concerned should generally be obtained in advance, and the Japanese side is currently communicating on this. However, Kato declared at a news conference that in view of the tense situation in Afghanistan, "sending self-defense forces to help evacuate Japanese nationals is from a humanitarian point of view." Even without explicit consent [from the Afghan side], there is no problem at the level of international law".
Kato also mentioned the targets of evacuation, saying, "This plan will evacuate overseas Chinese, including Japanese embassy staff, related personnel and their families." In practice, however, it is still uncertain how these expatriates should be brought to Kabul airport. Moreover, there is a high probability that other countries will send requests (to assist others in the evacuation of their aliens). The report mentioned that when asked about the number of overseas Chinese planned to be evacuated, Kato also refused to disclose details on the grounds that "the matter is very delicate at present.". The Nihon Keizai Shimbun mentioned that in addition to the above-mentioned targets and Japanese working in international institutions, the Japanese side also plans to transport Afghan employees working at the Japanese embassy.
NHK reported that the evacuation mission to Afghanistan will be carried out by two "C130 transport aircraft" and one "C2 transport aircraft" of the Air Self-Defense Force. The report mentioned that the C130 transport aircraft can transport 92 people at a time, while the C2 transport aircraft can transport 110 people at a time.
Japan's aircraft C130 (top) and C2 transport aircraft Pictured from NHK
NHK also noted that the Japan Self-Defense Forces had previously carried out four overseas evacuation missions.
The first was in 2004, when the Self-Defense Forces evacuated 10 Japanese journalists in Iraq by transport aircraft in response to the deterioration of the situation in Iraq; the second was in 2013, when the Japanese evacuated 7 people and transported the remains of nine Japanese killed back to Japan during the 2013 Algerian hostage incident; the third was in July 2016, after an attack in dhaka, Bangladesh, the self-defense forces returned 7 Japanese killed and their families to Japan, and a week after that, Due to the deterioration of the local security situation due to the armed conflict between South Sudanese government forces and rebel groups, Japan air force once again dispatched transport aircraft to evacuate four Japanese embassy personnel back to China.
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