People disembark a South Korean Air Force KC-330 transport aircraft at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, on Oct. 14, 2023. The aircraft, carrying 163 South Koreans and 57 other nationals, arrived from Israel amid the armed conflict there with the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
TOKYO, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — A Japanese air tanker has departed from Israel carrying dozens of its own nationals and 19 South Koreans, a Japanese media company reported Friday, in a move seen as reciprocation for Seoul’s help in bringing back Japanese people on its plane last week.
The Air Self-Defense Force aircraft left for Jordan to bring home 83 people, including the South Koreans, from the war-torn Middle East state, Kyodo News reported, quoting the Japanese government.
The plane is expected to arrive at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo early Saturday.
Japan had sent refueling and transport aircraft to Jordan to evacuate its citizens from Israel as the war with Palestine has been intensifying.
Japan made the offer earlier this week to provide some 20 seats for South Koreans for free. The proposal was seen as returning the favor to Seoul after a South Korean military aircraft brought back 51 Japanese people, along with 163 South Koreans, Saturday.
The mutual cooperation between the two neighboring countries came amid a significant warming of bilateral ties that had been badly frayed by a dispute over compensating Korean victims of wartime forced labor in 1910-45, when Korea was Japan’s colony.
In March, South Korea said it will not seek compensation from Japanese companies but make up for their suffering on its own.
(Yonhap)
