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More governments advising citizens to leave Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) _ Australia, Britain and Germany advised their citizens in Japan to consider leaving Tokyo and earthquake-affected areas, joining a growing number of governments and businesses telling their people it may be safer elsewhere.

The advisories came as the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in the northeast deepened in the wake of last week's earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, however, said its advice to Australians had nothing to do with the threat of nuclear contamination from the damaged plant.

“We are providing this advice because of the continuing disruption to major infrastructure, its impact on the welfare of people on the ground and continuing aftershocks,” its notice said.

Tokyo, which is about 140 miles (220 kilometers) south of the stricken nuclear complex, reported slightly elevated radiation levels Tuesday. Officials said the increase was too small to threaten the 39 million people in and around the capital, but some countries have relocated their embassies or suggested their citizens leave the area.

Germany's Foreign Ministry advised its citizens living near the nuclear plant or in the capital region to either leave the country or move to the Osaka area west of Tokyo.

Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said an estimated 5,000 Germans were in Japan before the earthquake, but now only about 1,000 are believed to remain in and around the capital. Germany's embassy in Tokyo also has been ``partly relocated'' to the consulate general in Osaka, Peschke said.

Britain's Foreign & Commonwealth Office advised against all nonessential travel to Tokyo and northeastern Japan, and urged British citizens within that zone to consider leaving.

France has urged its citizens with no reason to stay in Tokyo return to France or head to southern Japan. The government has asked Air France to mobilize aircraft in Asia to assist with departures.

Serbia and Croatia advised their citizens to leave Japan, while Croatia said it was moving its embassy from Tokyo to Osaka because of the nuclear crisis.

More than 3,000 Chinese have already been evacuated from Japan's northeast to Niigata on Japan's western coast, according to Xinhua News Agency. On Tuesday, Beijing became the first government to organize a mass evacuation of its citizens from the quake-affected area.

Other governments, including the U.S., are taking a more measured approach.

The White House recommended Wednesday that U.S. citizens stay 50 miles (80 kilometers) away from the stricken nuclear plant, not the 20-mile (32 kilometer) radius recommended by the Japanese.

The order came after President Barack Obama met with top advisers and the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. As late as Tuesday, the U.S. had not issued its own recommendations, advising citizens instead to follow the recommendations of the Japanese.

The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo told its citizens to follow advisories issued by Japanese authorities. It added, however, that Filipinos who are concerned about possible radiation exposure ``may wish to voluntary relocate to areas further away, or depart voluntarily from the country using their own means.''

If relocation and repatriation become necessary, the Philippine government will defray the costs involved, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

An Indian software services company, L&T Infotech, on Wednesday ordered the temporary evacuation of 185 employees and their family members from Japan. It said in a release that it had chartered a special Kingfisher Airlines flight that will depart Friday to Chennai, India.

Cirque du Soleil has also decided to move its performers and staff working in Japan to Macau, spokeswoman Chantal Cote said in an e-mail. Its show ``ZED'' is based at Tokyo Disneyland, and the touring ``KOOZA'' show was performing at the Fuji Dome in Tokyo.

The South Korean government urged its nationals staying within a 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima nuclear plant to evacuate Tuesday in line with the warning of Japanese authorities and issued a travel advisory for Japan. 

It advised not to travel within 30 kilometers of the Fukushima power plant. 
But the government has yet to announce its position on whether to order Koreans living in Tokyo and its surrounding metropolitan region to evacuate from the areas.

Russia begins to evacuate the families of its diplomatic and commercial staff in Tokyo on Friday, the Foreign Ministry said. However, there will be no evacuation of embassy and essential officials, it added. 

A mother greets her child departed from Japan at an airport in Shanghai, east China, March 17, 2011. A flight carrying a total of 298 Chinese passengers arrived in Shanghai on Thursday morning. China is rapidly withdrawing its nationals from the areas worst hit by a devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunamis in Japan as severely damaged nuclear power plants there are posing a safety threat. (Xinhua-Yonhap News)
A mother greets her child departed from Japan at an airport in Shanghai, east China, March 17, 2011. A flight carrying a total of 298 Chinese passengers arrived in Shanghai on Thursday morning. China is rapidly withdrawing its nationals from the areas worst hit by a devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunamis in Japan as severely damaged nuclear power plants there are posing a safety threat. (Xinhua-Yonhap News)

 

<관련 한글 기사> 

美국무부, 일본 여행경보 발령

일본의 원자력발전 소 위기가 날이 갈수록 악화하자 외국인들이 위험지역에서 잇달아 철수하고 있다.

미국 국무부는 11일 자국 시민들에 대해 강 진이 발생한 일본을 가급적 방문하지 말도록 권고하는 여행 경보를 발령했다.

국무부는 이날 발표한 여행 경보를 통해 "미국 시민들은 현 시점에서  일본으로 의 관광이나 불필요한 여행은 피할 것을 강력히 촉구한다"면서 강진의 여파로  도쿄 내 공항이 폐쇄된 것은 물론 주변 공항으로의 접근도 매우 제한적임을 지적했다.

국무부는 또한 도쿄 지역의 열차와 지하철 등도 운행을 중단했으며, 도쿄와 일본 의 북부지역 도로들도 상당히 훼손됐음을 상기시키면서 여행 자제를 거듭 당부했다.

美, 후쿠시마 원전 80㎞내 자국민 대피령

미국 정부가 후쿠시마(福島)원자력발전소의 반경 80㎞이내에 거주하는 자국 국민에게 대피를 권고했다고 산케이신문이 17일 보도했다.

이 신문에 따르면 미국 정부는 이날 새벽 주일 미국대사관을 통해 후쿠시마 원자력발전소의 방사능 누출과 관련 80㎞ 이내에 거주하는 미국인에게 대피를 권고했다.

미국 원자력규제위원회(NRC)는 일본에 파견된 전문가의 의견을 참고해 후쿠시마 원전 인근에 사는 국민에게 대피를 권고했다고 밝혔다.

러' 대사관원 가족 18일 도쿄서 철수

러시아 외무부는 16일 도쿄에 거주하는 대사관원 가족들과 영사관, 기업 및 정부기관의 고용원들이 18일부터 도쿄에서 철수한다고 밝혔다.

러 외무부는 그러나 대사관원 및 기관들의 직원 철수는 당장은 없을 것이라고 강조했다,

크로아티아 외무부는 16일 일본 주재 대사관을 임시로 도쿄에서 오사카로 이전한다고 발표했다.

영국 외무부도 일본에 거주하는 영국인들 중 도쿄와 그 이북에 거주하는 이들은 다른 지역으로 철수할 것을 권고했다.

스위스 정부도 이날 미셸린 칼미-레이 대통령의 성명을 통해 "현 시점에서 파괴 된 핵발전 시설에서 어떤 일이 일어날지 예측하기 어렵고 여진 가능성도 있다"며  "

일본 동북부와 도쿄, 요코하마 등 위험 지역에 있는 모든 스위스 국민에게 불가피한 경우를 제외하고는 해당 지역을 떠날 것을 권고한다"고 밝혔다.

中, 자국민 철수 본격화

일본 대지진 과정에서 발생한 후쿠시마 원자력발전소 폭발 사고로 방사선 누출 우려가 커지는 가운데 중국 정부가 자국민 철수에 속도를 내고 있다.

16일 신화통신 등에 따르면 일본 주재 중국 대사관은 15일부터 지진 피해가 집중된 미야기현, 후쿠시마현, 이와테현, 이바라키현에 전세버스 34대를 투입해 자국민을 도쿄 나리타공항과 니가타공항으로 이동시키고 있다.

산업연수생 2만2천여명을 포함, 이 지역에 머무르던 중국인은 3만3천여명에 이르는 것으로 중국 정부는 파악하고 있다.

중국대사관은 홈페이지를 통해 버스를 탈 수 있는 집결 지점을 안내하며 철수를 권하고 있다.

중국 정부는 철수 결정은 국민 개개인의 뜻에 따른다는 방침이지만 될 수 있으면 철수할 것을 권하고 있다.

Foreigners wait in line for the re-entry procedure at immigration center in Tokyo Thursday, March 17, 2011. (AP-Yonhap News)
Foreigners wait in line for the re-entry procedure at immigration center in Tokyo Thursday, March 17, 2011. (AP-Yonhap News)

A passenger from Japan passes through a scanner to check radiation level at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul Thursday, March 17, 2011. (AP-Yonhap News)
A passenger from Japan passes through a scanner to check radiation level at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul Thursday, March 17, 2011. (AP-Yonhap News)
Chinese citizens evacuating from Japan arrive on a flight at the airport in Shanghai. (AP-Yonhap News)
Chinese citizens evacuating from Japan arrive on a flight at the airport in Shanghai. (AP-Yonhap News)

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