Japan thanks S. Korea for Israel rescue effort

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa thanked South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin for evacuating Japanese from Israel using South Korea’s military transport plane in a phone call Sunday, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a statement.

On board the plane, which landed at Seoul Air Base late Saturday from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, were 163 South Koreans, 51 Japanese and six Singaporeans. Medical staff along with a team handling emergency responses were also aboard.

“The Japanese government will actively seek to lend support to South Korea should similar situations unfold,” the statement read, noting that the Japanese top diplomat proposed continued cooperation. The two ministers, the statement added, agreed to work together on protecting the lives of South Koreans and Japanese as well as their safety as geopolitical crises take place.

No South Korean fatalities or casualties have so far been reported since the militant Palestinian group Hamas’ surprise, multipronged attack on Israel two weeks ago.