Japan is considering using government planes to evacuate Japanese nationals from Kuwait, Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said.
The announcement followed a missile strike, apparently from Iraq, on the center of Kuwait City, the capital, early Saturday morning.
"We will take prudent measures should they be necessary to protect Japanese . . . in line with the situation in Kuwait," Motegi told a press conference. He also welcomed the U.N.'s approval of the resumption of humanitarian aid to Iraq.
According to the Foreign Ministry, there are 91 Japanese, including journalists, in Kuwait.
Japan will dispatch government planes Sunday to airlift relief supplies to Jordan for those affected by the U.S.-led war against Iraq. The mission will be the first time Japan has used such planes for overseas humanitarian aid since the adoption of a Japanese law allowing cooperation with U.N. peacekeeping operations.
Two government planes operated by the Air Self-Defense Force are scheduled to leave Tokyo on Sunday night and arrive in Amman on Monday morning. They will deliver 160 tents capable of housing a total of 1,600 people.
Discussing the U.N. Security Council's approval Friday of the resumption of the oil-for-food program in Iraq, Motegi said, "We welcome the fact that the resolution was adopted swiftly with a unanimous vote."
The United Nations also launched an appeal to raise $2.2 billion in emergency humanitarian aid for Iraq.
The oil-for-food program, which was suspended shortly before the war began, allows Iraq to purchase humanitarian supplies using oil revenues. It provides the sole source of food for 60 percent of the Iraqi population.
The U.N. will resume the oil-for-food program in parts of Iraq as soon as the situation permits. It will last for 45 days, with a possible extension subject to approval by the council.