US to Citizens in Japan: Move 50 Miles From Stricken Fukushima DaiIchi Nuclear Plant

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As nuclear radiation fears grow in Japan, the U.S. Is urging Americans there to evacuate further away from Japan’s nuclear plants. All the while, the U.S. Military relief effort is expanding.

The U.S. government had until today recommended that U.S. citizens in Japan follow the Japanese government’s recommendations.

A notice issued on Tuesday by the U.S. embassy in Tokyo advised U.S. citizens to stay out of the 20-kilometer (12.4 mile) exclusion zone. A statement issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, also on Tuesday, said its experts “continue to conclude the steps recommend by Japanese authorities parallel those the United States would suggest in a similar situation.”

Then, the White House said Wednesday that U.S. citizens within 50 miles of Japanese reactors damaged during the disaster should evacuate.

Radiation is also a concern for U.S. military crews. Some military personnel were given potassium iodide ahead of possible exposure.

Col. David Lapan told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. forces in Japan had been directed to stay outside a 50 miles (80 kilometers) radius from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant.