Britons planning to visit Japan have been advised against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and North East Japan in the wake of Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The Foreign and Commonwealth office updated its travel advice and has taken more than 4,000 calls to an emergency helpline. This came amid concerns of an ongoing risk of further earthquakes, aftershocks and tsunamis.
A dedicated crisis unit has been established in the Foreign Office as flights to and from Tokyo returned to normal.
Japanese police have confirmed 1,597 deaths so far, but the final toll is expected to be far higher with estimates of more than 10,000 victims.
The FCO is monitoring reports on damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant where there have been two explosions since the quake.
“The Japanese authorities have confirmed that the situation remains serious, but that there is currently no significant off site release of radioactive material,” the FCO said.
“There is a 20km exclusion zone around the facility, which we continue to urge British nationals to observe.
“This is consistent with the severity of the reported incident, with the independent information that we have, and with international practice. We will keep this under constant review.”
The FCO added: “Embassy staff and British volunteers are helping to get information to our citizens about the situation, and working closely with Japanese officials.
“Embassy response teams at Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports are assisting British nationals and liaising with airlines.”
The FCO described the situation as a “major disaster” which will as a whole claim many lives and injure many others.
“There are no reports of British casualties at this time and we urge people to get in touch on our hotline number (020 7008 0000) to let us know of loved ones who are missing or known to be safe.
“The immediate priority for the Japanese authorities is the emergency response. In these unpredictable circumstances, it is likely to take some time to formally identify those who may have lost their lives or been injured and to notify next of kin.”
British Airways is operating flights normally from London to and from Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports.
Japan Airlines has been forced to cancel almost 300 domestic and more than 30 international flights since the earthquake hit on Friday.
The carrier is scheduling extra flights to the Tohoku region in the northern part of Japan from either Tokyo’s Haneda airport or Osaka as relief efforts are stepped up.