Japanese government bans residents from nuclear evacuation zone

[News_Editor]

Japanese government bans residents from nuclear evacuation zone

2011-04-21 10:59:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- The Japanese government banned the entry of residents to areas within 20 kilometers of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from midnight Thursday, NHK Television reported.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the off-limits zone covers about 27,000 households in 9 municipalities. He added that the decision is aimed at protecting the local residents, some of whom have been returning home without sufficient radiation safety measures.

The government had already instructed residents within the area to evacuate and anyone entering the banned area could be subject to fines.

The nuclear station was damaged after the powerful earthquake and tsunami on March 11 in which more than 27,000 people have been reported killed or missing in northeastern Japan.

The disasters disabled the cooling systems of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Radioactive elements leaked into the sea and were later found in water, air and food products in some parts of Japan.

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