Three Japanese were among the more than 470 workers detained in a recent immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor plant in the United States, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Tuesday.

Referring to the raid in Georgia last week, Iwaya told a press conference that he would not go into detail"to protect their privacy."

U.S. immigration officials detained around 300 South Koreans, according to South Korean media reports.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a separate press conference on Tuesday that Tokyo had contacted South Korea about the incident.

South Korea reportedly plans to send a chartered plane to the United States as early as Wednesday to bring back the detainees.

Hayashi, the top government spokesman, said,"This is a diplomatic exchange, so I will refrain from commenting on what was discussed," adding,"We will continue to respond appropriately to protect our citizens."