Japan delays sending flights to Wuhan from Tuesday morning

January 28, 2020

Tokyo--Japan put off sending chartered flights to Wuhan to evacuate its nationals from the Chinese city at the center of a coronavirus outbreak from Tuesday morning due to scheduling difficulty.

The government was preparing to start sending the chartered planes as the number of pneumonia cases caused by the new coronavirus shot up in China.

But the government could not secure agreement from the Chinese side over the use of a local airport in the morning, informed sources said.

The government is accelerating its efforts so that it can carry out the evacuation quickly, the sources also said.

"The government is making preparations so that Japanese people hoping to return home can do so as soon as possible," Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament.

"We are ready to send the flights once approval is given from China," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference.

There are some 560 Japanese nationals in Wuhan, including expatriate employees.

The government plans to send two commercial chartered flights to Wuhan soon after arrangements are made with the Chinese side.

It is also considering utilizing a government plane or sending an additional chartered flight if the two planes are not enough.

The planes are expected to carry relief supplies for China, such as face masks and protective suits. The government will conduct health checks on passengers aboard as they may have been infected with the virus.

In past cases, Japan used government and commercial planes to bring home Japanese nationals abroad due to deteriorations in local security situations.

The planned flights are believed to mark the first time for Japan to evacuate its nationals from a foreign country because of an infectious disease outbreak. Jiji Press