UPDATE - Japan's Foreign Ministry Withdrawing Most Of Diplomatic Personnel From Ukraine

TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2022) Japan is evacuating almost all of its embassy staff from Ukraine and is calling on Japanese nationals in the country to leave immediately, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

The Japanese embassy in Kiev will only offer limited services after the evacuation of the diplomatic staff, the ministry said on Sunday, as cited by the NHK broadcaster.

On Friday, the Japanese foreign ministry said that Japan had raised the danger warning for staying in Ukraine to the highest level and was urging its citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible amid growing tensions.

The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has formed an emergency headquarters to coordinate actions and gather information on the developments in Ukraine, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a Monday press conference that Kishida had given out orders to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in Ukraine. There are currently about 150 Japanese citizens in Ukraine.

Japan is one of many countries that have partially evacuated their diplomatic staff from Kiev this past week, calling on their citizens to leave Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Saturday, that the departure of diplomatic staff from Ukraine was justified because the "risk of Russian military action is high enough and the threat is imminent enough that this is the prudent thing to do."

In the past few months, the West and Ukraine have accused Russia of a troop build-up near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for an "invasion." Moscow has denied these accusations, repeatedly stating that it is not threatening anyone and at the same time expressing strong concerns over NATO's military activity near the Russian borders, which it deems a threat to its national security.