Japan's top diplomat has expressed gratitude to South Korea for helping Japanese nationals depart from Israel on a military transport plane last week.

According to the foreign ministries of the two nations, South Korean foreign minister Park Jin had a phone call with his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa on Sunday morning to discuss bilateral cooperation in the repatriation of their nationals from Israel after the outbreak of the armed conflict with Hamas.

During the 20-minute talks, Tokyo’s top diplomat thanked the Seoul government for helping 51 Japanese nationals get out of the Middle East country and vowed to provide active cooperation in case South Korea faces a similar situation.

Seoul’s foreign ministry said that the top diplomats agreed to work together closely to protect the lives and safety of their citizens abroad anywhere in the world. 

A South Korean military transport plane brought home 163 South Korean nationals from Israel on Saturday night along with 51 Japanese nationals and family members and six Singaporeans.