Travel to Japan Post Fukushima Daiichi Meltdown: Safe or Not?

Travelers wondering whether it's safe to visit Japan this fall may get different answers depending on who they ask. Since the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March, there has been continuing radiation leakage and differential risk assessment.

These resources may help the traveler decide whether or not to plan a trip to Japan:

U.S. State Dept. Travel Alert

For U.S. travelers, the State Dept. is typically the primary source for assessing the safety of foreign travel destinations. The State Dept. issued its most recent travel alert for Japan July 19 and the alert remains in effect through Sept. 18.

The State Dept. does not recommend travel within the 50 mile evacuation zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Outside that zone, State considers the health and safety risk low.

The U.S. government also says there is low risk associated with using the principal transportation routes for passing through the evacuation zone including Tohoku Shinkansen Railway, and Tohoku Expressway.

Radiation exposure risks associated with using Sendai Airport and the main travel routes to Sendai City center are also considered low, according to the State Dept.

Tepco's Reports Monitoring Radiation Levels at Fukushima Daiichi

Tepco publishes the the daily radiation levels detected at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. These may be of interest to scientifically-minded travelers.

The highest radiation levels at the plant since the disaster were recorded Aug. 1, and reached fatal levels, according to a New York Times report.

Food Safety in Japan

Bloomberg News reported serious concerns with food safety in Japan in July. Among the key concerns:

* Unsafe levels of cesium were found in beef on supermarket shelves, vegetables, and in the ocean.

* Cesium and iodine contamination is affecting food produced as far as 360 km away from Fukushima Daiichi.

* Japan lacks a centralized system for measuring radiation levels in food.

Drinking Water Safety

Japan's Ministry of Health and Labour issues regular reports on radioactive materials in the tap water in Fukushima prefecture. There is no restriction on the intake of tap water in the prefecture based on radiation levels.

JNTO Encourages Travelers to Visit Japan

The Japan National Tourism Organization says Tokyo's radiation level is similar to that of New York City. The JNTO website, updated Aug. 26, says that outside the nuclear evacuation zone, there are no dangerous radiation levels detected in Japan. It re-publishes data on the radiation levels in major Japanese cities and comparable information for select other international destinations.

JNTO asserts that the food and water in Japan are safe without any discussion of recent reports to the contrary concerning food.