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Great East Japan Earthquake

Confirming safety of foreign nationals in Japan

1. (1) Diplomatic corps in Tokyo and staff members of international organizations have been confirmed safe. The Consulate General's office of the ROK in Sendai (the only foreign mission in six prefectures of the Tohoku district) has confirmed the safety of its staff members.
2. (2) The safety of JICA trainees and visitors under the programs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Japan Foundation has been confirmed.
3. (3) Information regarding the safety of foreign nationals living in the Tohoku district is being gathered in liaison with related ministries and organizations, respective embassies in Tokyo, travel agencies, and other institutions.
4. (4) The Japan Red Cross and the International Committee for the Red Cross have established websites ( http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/ ) to confirm the safety of foreigners living in Japan.
5. (5) List of the Local Governments in Tohoku district (Earthquake Information Inquiry [PDF] )

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Information for foreign nationals

For Those Who had been Staying in Japan with the Status of Residence "Technical Intern Training" or "Trainee" and Left Japan without Obtaining a Re-entry Permit due to the Great East Japan Earthquake (Advance Notice for termination)

English [PDF] Chinese [PDF]

For Those Who had been Staying in Japan with the Status of Residence "Technical Intern Training" or "Trainee" and Left Japan without Obtaining a Re-entry Permit due to the Great East Japan Earthquake

English [PDF], Chinese [PDF]

Students Wishing to Re-enter Japan without a Re-entry Permit due to the Great East Japan Earthquake (Termination of Special Measure)

English [PDF]

Foreign Nationals Wishing to Enter Japan with Expired Certificate of Eligibility due to the Great East Japan Earthquake (Termination of Special Measure)

English [PDF]

To Foreign Nationals Who Wish to Postpone Their Visit to Japan owing to the Great East Japan Earthquake (Termination of Special Measure) [PDF]

English [PDF]

Visitors to Miyagi, Fukushima, and Iwate prefectures

English [PDF]

• Legal Counseling for Foreigners(Japan Federation of Bar Associations)
• For Foreign Nationals unaccounted for in connection with the Great East Japan Earthquake (March 16, 2011)
• Extension of the period of validity of the re-entry permit to Japan (March 23, 2011)
• Acceptance of Relief Money through Japan's Overseas Missions in Response to Tohoku - Pacific Ocean Earthquake (March 16, 2011)

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Ensuring safety of nuclear power stations

• FAQs: Japan nuclear concerns (WHO)
  • Food safety
  • Drinking water safety
• The Release of Low-Level Contaminated Water into the Ocean from the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (April 9, 2011)
• Basic facts regading radiation exposure, general information on decontamination methods, etc (National Institute of Radiological Sciences)
• Reading of environmental radioactivity level (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
• Map: Radioactivity level by prefecture (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)

1. (1) After the earthquake and tsunami, control rods have been inserted immediately in the 11 reactors which were in operation in Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaragi Prefectures, automatically suspending power generation.
2. (2) With respect to TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi and Dai-ni Nuclear Power Stations in Fukushima Prefecture, a Nuclear Emergencies Situation was declared, and evacuations and introduction of emergency measures are undertaken.
3. (3) Regarding the present situation at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi and Dai-ni Nuclear Power Plants, please refer to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency .
4. (4) Concerning the accident and troubles at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant, Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry changed the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) provisional rating from Level 4 to Level 5 for some Units, as follows.
    
   - TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant Units 1, 2, and 3:  Level 5 (provisional rating)
   - TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant Unit 4:  Level 3 (provisional rating)
   - TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ni Nuclear Power Plant: Units 1, 2, and 4:  Level 3 (provisional rating)
5. (5) On April 12, NISA gave a provisional INES rating of Level 7 to the event at the TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant in the aftermath of the Tohoku - Pacific Ocean Earthquake on March 11, 2011, based on the information it had obtained since March 18.

   This new assessment does not mean that the situation in TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station is aggravating. The new assessment is a result of our latest calculation, based on newly obtained data of the total amount of radioactive substances released, in accordance with the IAEA criteria. Moreover, most of the radioactive substances were released during a few days following the accident and the airborne radiation dose has been gradually declining. For example, in Tokyo, its radiation dose has never reached to the level which would affect the human health. It has been declining steadily. The current data shows that it has returned to an approximately normal level. We will continue to radioactive monitoring.

   Compared with the Chernobyl accident, the reasons and the aspects of the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station are different. First, while the reactor itself exploded at Chernobyl, the reactors at the Fukushima automatically shut down and there was no large-scale fire at the site. The release of radioactive substances is limited. The IAEA also points out that the accidents are different in this regard. Secondly, the total amount of radioactive substances released from the TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station at present is estimated to be far less than that of the Chernobyl. Thirdly, there is no casualty by radioactive damage and is no health problem caused by radiation among those residents in the vicinity of the TEPCO's nuclear power station. (more information: Major Differences between the Chernobyl accident and the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station [PDF])

   International institutions such as International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO) and World Health Organization (WHO) have made objective assessments that the excessive measures such as general travel restriction to Japan are not needed.

6. (6) On April 17, TEPCO announced the "Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station" at the instruction of Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The roadmap aims to bring the levels of radiation into a steady decline in about three months and, in another three to six months, control the release of radioactive materials and significantly suppress radiation levels.
7. (7) On May 17, TEPCO put together the status of the progress of the "Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station". (Current Status of Roadmap as of May 17 )
8. On July 19, "Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station" was revised. ( Points of Progress Status [PDF(264KB)] Current Status [PDF(608KB)] Progress Status [PDF(0.97MB)] )
9. On December 16, Step 2 of the "Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station" was completed.
10. (8) The Government of Japan has explained the situation to the diplomatic corps in Tokyo and foreign media, and is providing necessary information to the IAEA in a timely manner.
11. (9) On June 1, the IAEA International Fact-Finding Expert Mission submitted to the Government of Japan the preliminary summary of a report to be completed by the Mission. (Preliminary Summary [PDF])
12. (10) On June 7, the Government of Japan released a report titled "Report of the Japanese Government to the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety - the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations -" to the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, which is to be held between June 20-24 in Vienna. (This report is available on the web page of the Prime Minister's Office. )
13. (11) On June 20, a report of the IAEA International Fact-Finding Expert Mission which visited Japan from May 24 to June 2 was submitted to the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety.
14. (12) On November 15, the IAEA submitted to the Government of Japan the Final Report of the International Mission on Remediation of Large Contaminated Areas Off-site the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP. (Final Report [PDF])

Related Links

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Information on safety in relation to radioactivity level

1. (1) Following the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant, some countries and regions have expressed some concern on radioactivity level in Japan.
2. (2) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been providing the authorities concerned in countries and regions throughout the world with sufficient information on the current state of the nuclear power plant and the measures Japan is taking in relation to the accidents.

Related Information

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