Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: The Foreign Ministry in Tokyo has renewed its warning to Japanese nationals to avoid traveling to Yemen for any purpose and to cancel all plans to visit the country.

Tuesday’s travel advisory from the Foreign Ministry categorized Yemen at level 4, the strongest warning, which advises against travel throughout the country and just as strongly recommends that those in the country leave “immediately.”

The advisory is not compulsory for Japanese citizens, but it has been customary by officials of government bodies, travel agencies and insurance companies to comply with the warnings.

The Ministry noted, “Throughout Yemen, clashes between the Yemeni government and anti-government forces (Houthi faction), as well as terrorist attacks and kidnappings by Islamic extremist groups, have occurred. Do not travel to Yemen for any purpose. If you are already in the country, evacuate immediately.” It added that a temporary ceasefire agreement between the warring parties expired in October 2022.

“Clashes between the Yemeni government and the Houthis have continued for a long time in various parts of Yemen, and the security and humanitarian situation in the country have deteriorated. Terrorist activities by Islamic extremist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continue to take place throughout the country, especially in the southern region, the Ministry said without clarifying any cases. It added without bringing names of those involved that “there have been many general crimes, such as robbery and assassinations by armed groups, making the country extremely dangerous.”

The Ministry noted that there have been repeated attacks on ships by the Houthis using missiles and drones, including the seizure of civilian ships in the Red Sea, the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden, and that military action against the Houthis has been taken by allied nations. Japan supported that military attacks as a solution to settle this international conflict which contradicts Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, according to peace groups in Tokyo. 

The advisory also gave a very negative image of Yemen saying there has been a high incidence of kidnappings by tribal organizations, as well as by the so-called AQAP and ISIL. “If foreigners, including Japanese people, travel to Yemen, they are more likely than ever to be targeted for kidnapping, and it is very dangerous,” the advisory concluded.