SEOUL – An aircraft from Japan's Air Self-Defense Force arrived at Haneda International Airport on Friday with South Korean nationals onboard, following a collaborative evacuation effort from Israel, the South Korean foreign ministry reported.
The plane, according to the ministry, landed in Tokyo at 6:45 p.m., carrying 15 South Korean individuals and one family member of foreign nationality related to a South Korean. Departing from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Thursday, this marks the second occasion Japan has extended such support, reciprocating a previous aid by Seoul.
Previously, on October 21, a Japanese flight repatriated 18 South Koreans and a foreign family member. This gesture came after South Korea facilitated the return of 51 Japanese nationals along with 163 of its own citizens on October 14.
Still, 420 South Korean citizens are reportedly remaining in Israel. The recent acts of mutual assistance reflect a thaw in relations between South Korea and Japan, following longstanding tensions over historical wartime labor disputes.