The Japanese government has tapped five towns and cities outside of the current mandatory evacuation zone surrounding the Fukushima plant for mandatory departure, after the detection of escalating radiation levels. The evac order, however, will take up to a month.
We’re not sure why the government would tell residents that they’re in danger while at the same time taking so long to execute the evacuation – the less exposure, the better. The current radius is also still far less than other nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency have asked for – Japan’s danger zone is a 30km around the stricken plant, compared to the 80km that American citizens have been told to observe. [Kyodo News & NYT]