NHK has learned that the Japanese government is studying ways to help travelers and others from Japan evacuate the Middle East amid closures of airspace in the region.
Government sources say officials are discussing how to evacuate the Japanese nationals to surrounding nations by land and fly them out of the region.
Countries in the Middle East have closed their airspace following the US-Israel attacks on Iran, which triggered retaliatory strikes from Tehran.
The airspace disruptions have left travelers in the region stranded, as flights at major hubs, including the international airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and Doha, Qatar, have been suspended.
Government sources say officials assume airspace will remain closed for the time being.
Officials are considering evacuating the many stranded Japanese travelers by land from the UAE and Qatar to nearby Saudi Arabia and Oman, from where they would be put on chartered flights home or elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Defense Ministry officials have begun discussions on dispatching Self-Defense Forces aircraft in case chartered flights are not available.
The government will make its final decision while closely monitoring the situation in the region.