Japan’s top diplomat said that the country has temporarily moved its embassy from Afghanistan to Qatar. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi this month travelled to the Middle East. He said to reporters that talks with leaders in the area recommend that Doha, the capital of Qatar, will continue growing political importance.

Japan was among the first to be evacuated from Afghanistan. Most of the people were evacuated by the British military before Tokyo sent its Self-Defense Force aircraft last week as the security outside the Kabul airport worsens.