NZ government advice for Japan

When travelling to Japan, you should always get travel insurance in case the worst happens. To help you ensure you travel safely, we have included the travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for Japan.

We advise against all travel within 30 kilometres of the Fukushima nuclear power plant and in areas designated as Planned Evacuation Zones by the Japanese authorities. The Japanese Government has put in place a mandatory 20 kilometre exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear facility.

New Zealanders are advised to exercise caution when within a 30-80 kilometre radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, be alert to any announcements pertaining to public safety and strictly follow any instructions issued by the Japanese authorities.

The magnitude 9 earthquake that struck Japan on 11 March 2011 and subsequent tsunami caused significant damage to areas along the north east coast of Japan. Over 13,000 people were killed and more than 14,000 people unaccounted for.

The earthquake also caused major damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant. In the interests of public safety, Japanese authorities evacuated all residents within a 20 kilometre radius of the nuclear power plant.

The situation in most parts of Japan, including Tokyo, has largely returned to normal. The New Zealand National Radiation Laboratory has advised that there is no radiation safety hazard in Tokyo at this time and continues to monitor the situation closely.

New Zealanders travelling to areas of north east Honshu most directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami should be aware that reconstruction efforts are ongoing and there may be some disruption to essential services in certain locations. In addition, aftershocks continue to occur, although as time goes by these are becoming smaller in magnitude.

New Zealanders throughout Japan are advised to monitor local media closely and follow any advice and instructions on precautionary or protective measures issued by the Japanese authorities.

New Zealanders travelling or living in Japan should have comprehensive medical and travel insurance policies in place.

New Zealanders in Japan are advised to register their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

More information

Further advice on radiation for New Zealanders in Japan can be found on New Zealand?s National Radiation Laboratory website .

Further information about the situation and health and safety issues can be found on World Health Organization (WHO) web pages at:

http://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/en/
http://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/faqs/en/
http://www.wpro.who.int/media_centre/jpn_earthquake/

Information on the status of the nuclear facilities in Fukushima can be found on the website of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) . In addition to the official information above we advise people to consult the assessments of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) .

See our regional advice for North Asia

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The New Zealand Embassy Tokyo, Japan

Contact details are:

Street Address 20-40 Kamiyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150 - 0047, Japan
Telephone +81 3 3467 2271 Facsimile +81 3 3467 6843
Email nzemb.tky@mail.com
Website New Zealand Embassy Tokyo [external link]
Office Hours Mon - Fri 0900 - 1730 hrs