TOKYO, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Japan will send three Self-Defense Forces planes to Afghanistan to evacuate Japanese nationals and local staff who worked for the Japanese embassy and other organizations, the top government spokesperson said on Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government will first send one C-2 transport aircraft on Monday and two C-130s on Tuesday to Afghanistan for the evacuation mission.
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party had criticized the decision to evacuate Japanese embassy staff via a British military airplane last week.
After the closure of the Japanese embassy in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, the Japanese diplomats were evacuated to Dubai last Tuesday, but some Japanese nationals working for international organizations have not left yet.
