Two Japanese citizens and a family member of another nationality were among those evacuated from Niger with the support of France following a military coup in the western African state, the top government spokesman said Wednesday.
Around 10 Japanese nationals in total were in the country as of Tuesday and they had all been contacted, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference.
Japan will continue to make utmost efforts to secure the safety of its nationals in collaboration with France and other countries, Matsuno said, days after the military coup sparked protests in Niger against France, its former colonial ruler.
Japan's embassies in Ivory Coast, which also handles Niger, and in France were coordinating with the French authorities, he added.
A French plane carrying the first batch of evacuees departed from the capital Niamey for Paris with around 260 people aboard, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in a social media post.
The plane arrived in the French capital in the early hours of Wednesday, local media reported.
The evacuation came after members of Niger's military said on July 26 they had removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power after detaining him.
The junta has accused the toppled government of authorizing France to carry out a military attack to free Bazoum.
