The Foreign Ministry was thrown into confusion Wednesday when Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima told a news conference that the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad had been evacuated -- a remark he later retracted.
The hubbub apparently reflected panic within the ministry after Japan was warned of a possible terrorist attack on the embassy. Japanese officials refused to comment on the source of the warning.
Ministry officials warned Japanese nationals in Iraq, mainly journalists, to stay away from the embassy complex.
"The embassy has been moved to another place and it is functioning there," Takashima said. "(Embassy officials) have all moved there."
His remarks prompted ministry press staffers to call the department that oversees embassy matters, which said the statement was untrue.
Takashima later retracted his remarks at a hastily arranged news conference.
"The remark I made earlier that the embassy was moved to another place was my misunderstanding," he said repeatedly. "I profoundly offer my apologies."
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