WARNING: On 11th March 2011 the region was hit by an earthquake with an 9.0 magnitude followed by a tsunami and many aftershocks. Meltdowns have been confirmed in several reactors of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. Locals living within a 20km radius of the Power Plant have already been evacuated, along with some outlying areas. Access to the evacuation zone is heavily restricted. There have been some concerns over higher levels of radiation detected in some towns not asked to evacuate by the Japanese government. While there has been much debate over the effects of low level radiation exposure to the locals, that danger is from prolonged exposure, so travellers passing through or visiting the region should not be unduly worried if they remain outside of the evacuation zone. Travellers should be aware, however, that aftershocks continue and train schedules may be disrupted. |
Fukushima prefecture (福島県 Fukushima-ken) is in the northeastern Tohoku region of the main Japanese island Honshu.