The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Japan has closed its embassy in Sanaa on Sunday due to a worsening security situation in Yemen.
The Ambassador Mr. Katsuyoshi Hayashi and four embassy officials have now left the country but some of the staff will continue to provide embassy services from Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Yemen’s security has worsened in recent months, with Shiite rebels
seizing control of Sanaa. This move, though temporary comes on the heels of the closure
of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen last week and then European missions.
On the 6th of February, the Houthi militant group declared that it had seized power.
Whilst in a press briefing in Tokyo, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, indicated that
“The security situation there is extremely severe.”
He also stated that other countries are taking similar cautionary measures.
With political unrest having escalated in Yemen recently, the attacks on and kidnappings of foreigners continue to be on the rise.
The Foreign Ministry cautions that Japanese nationals have a higher risk of being harmed and
therefore recommends that Japanese nationals postpone all visits.
Meanwhile, Suga stated that Self-Defense Forces troops are on an assignment in nearby Djibouti, taking part in an anti-piracy mission in waters off Somalia but their operations remain unaffected.