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Japan Earthquake: Foreigners Flee Over Radiation Fears At The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (VIDEO)

First Posted: 03/17/11 03:26 PM ET Updated: 05/25/11 07:40 PM ET

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Fear of radiation is causing thousands of tourists to leave Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami.

On Thursday,Reuters reported passengers that arrived in Taiwan from Japan have heightened levels of radiation.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory last week warning citizens to cancel non-essential travel (President Obama is scheduled to speak about the crisis on Thursday).

On Wednesday, the Thai government began doling out potassium iodide pills to travelers headed to Tokyo.

In the Reuters video below, concerned travelers are cutting short vacations over radiation fears, while world governments have started chartering flights for their citizens to get them out of Japan. Travelers now tell Reuters that they are more nervous about the radiation than they were about the earthquake.


WATCH below:

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Fear of radiation is causing thousands of tourists to leave Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami. On Thursday,Reuters reported passengers that arrived in Taiwan from Japan have heighte...
Fear of radiation is causing thousands of tourists to leave Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami. On Thursday,Reuters reported passengers that arrived in Taiwan from Japan have heighte...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ginger42
Just the facts, ma'am--Sgt Friday
330 Fans
04:54 AM on 03/18/2011
http://plainenglishnuclear.blogspot.com/2011/03/yet-another-japan-reactor-post.html#more

GOOD info on the earthquake and reactor
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Bridget C
65 Fans
03:48 PM on 03/17/2011
Foreigners should leave, but not because of the radiation threat. The whole country is stressed to the max by power outages and limited resources. Anyone who has somewhere else to go, should go so they aren't using resources that could go to people who truly have no where else to go.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ginger42
Just the facts, ma'am--Sgt Friday
330 Fans
04:55 AM on 03/18/2011
oh, relax. I live in Tokyo. No problems except in a few people's panic minds--especially foreign press.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Bridget C
65 Fans
11:53 AM on 03/18/2011
That was kind of my point. Tourists should not be hanging around just to watch things unfold, they should get out of the way. But no, panic is unwarranted.
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DaveThinks
7 Fans
03:28 PM on 03/17/2011
Just flew back from Osaka yesterday, was very hard to leave all my co-workers from Japan, explaining to them that is wasn't safe to stay.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ginger42
Just the facts, ma'am--Sgt Friday
330 Fans
04:56 AM on 03/18/2011
On your plane ride you experienced more radiation than if you had stayed here for a few months
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