UN agencies: current situation poses no risk to travel to and from Japan

Current situation for travel and transport to and from Japan

The United Nations organizations (WHO, IAEA, UNWTO, WMO, IMO, ICAO, ILO) closely monitoring the effects of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant remain confident that radiation levels do not present health or transportation safety hazards to passengers and crew.

On 18 March, based on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES)*, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry assessed the safety significance rating of the accident at the plant as Level 5. On 12 April, this assessment was revised to Level 7 following information obtained from estimations of the amount of radioactive material discharged to the atmosphere.

Radiation monitoring around airports and seaports in Japan continues to confirm that levels remain well within safe limits from a health perspective.  In addition, monitoring of passengers, crew and cargo from Japan carried out to date in other countries, in accordance with their national policy, does not suggest any health or safety risk.  Therefore, screening of radiation for health and safety purposes is currently considered unnecessary at airports and seaports around the world.

For updates, travelers visiting Japan by air are advised to consult a dedicated website established by the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau:  http://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/flyjapan_en/.