Japan Creates No-Entry Zone around Fukushima NPP

apan has banned people from going within 20 kilometres Fukushima NPP, which has been leaking radiation. Prime Minister Naoto Kan vows to make all-out efforts to help residents. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Japan has declared a no-go zone within a 20 km radius surrounding the crippled Japanese Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant over concerns about the safety of those who try to return after having been evacuated.

The safety zone will be enforced starting midnight on Friday. People will also be discouraged from entering areas within a 30km exclusion distance due to concerns about radiation levels.

"Unfortunately, there have been reports of people returning independently to the area without taking adequate precautions,"Yukio Edano, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, said Thursday, as cited by the Financial Times.

Some 78,000 people have homes in the evacuation zone, and many have been going back to retrieve belongings, and check on farms and businesses in recent weeks. One person per household will be allowed to enter for a maximum of two hours to collect personal belongings.

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