Nuclear crisis worsening
As the humanitarian crisis in Japan deteriorates, Australians in areas hit by the disaster are advised to leave.
Aussies told to leave
Aussies in Tokyo and other areas hit hard by the Japan quake and tsunami disaster are advised to consider leaving the devastated country unless they really need to stay.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says its updated travel advice, released on Wednesday afternoon, wasn't related to fears of nuclear contamination from the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors.
"We are providing this advice because of the continuing disruption to major infrastructure, its impact on the welfare of people on the ground and continuing aftershocks," it said.
That includes interruptions to transport, communications, power and other infrastructure, school closures and continuing aftershocks.
The Australian government is authorising the voluntary departure of dependants of Australian officials from Tokyo.
At this stage, DFAT isn't making any special arrangements for those wishing to leave because of the availability of commercial flights.
DFAT said there had been no reports of Australian casualties but 94 Australians remained unaccounted for - a substantial reduction from the figure of 144 cited earlier on Wednesday.
"At this point, all we know is that we have not been able to contact 94 Australians who we have reason to believe were in the worst-affected areas," DFAT said.
"Communications remain difficult and we are continuing to try to confirm their safety. We also urge anyone who has heard from their family or friends in Japan to contact DFAT so we can confirm they are safe."
Japanese emperor gives rare address
Japan's emperor gave a rare address to a jittery nation on Wednesday as a nuclear emergency deepened and millions struggled in desperate conditions after last week's quake and tsunami disaster.
The television appearance by Emperor Akihito emphasised the gravity of the crisis gripping Japan after the 9.0-magnitude quake and the monster waves it unleashed, killing thousands and crippling a nuclear power plant.
Akihito said he was "deeply concerned" about the "unpredictable" situation at the stricken Fukushima No.1 power plant, which has been hit by a series of explosions after Friday's quake knocked out reactor cooling systems.
"I sincerely hope that we can keep the situation from getting worse," Akihito said, in a historic televised address that marked the first time he has intervened in a national crisis.
Japanese crews grappling with the world's worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl in 1986 briefly suspended work after a spike in radiation levels at the plant 250 kilometres northeast of Tokyo.
And already jangled nerves were frayed further by a series of aftershocks including a strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake that swayed buildings in Tokyo.
The official toll of the dead and missing after the quake and tsunami flattened Japan's northeast coast rose to more than 12,000, police said, with the number of confirmed dead at 4277.
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But reports continued to come in which indicated that the final grisly toll could be much higher, with the mayor of the coastal town of Ishinomaki saying the number of missing there was likely to hit 10,000, Kyodo News reported.
On Saturday, public broadcaster NHK reported that around 10,000 people were also unaccounted for in the port town of Minamisanriku, again in Miyagi prefecture.
After the Tokyo stock exchange's biggest two-day sell-off in 24 years sparked a global market rout, the headline Nikkei share index closed up 5.68 per cent on bargain hunting.
The Bank of Japan pumped another Y3.5 trillion ($A43.81 billion) into the financial system, adding to trillions spent this week since the disaster crippled a large swath of the economy.
The evacuation order at the Fukushima nuclear power plant came as a tall white cloud was seen billowing into the sky over the stricken complex.
Earlier, crews at Fukushima contended with a new fire and feared damage to the vessel containing one of the plant's six reactor cores.
The 50 or so workers at the plant have been hailed as heroes.
"Please don't forget that there are people who are working to protect everyone's lives in exchange for their own lives," said one post on Japanese social networking site Mixi.
Japanese military helicopters were due to dump water on the nuclear plant, which has been hit by four explosions and two fires, to help contain the overheating, but were forced back due to radiation, reports said.
Engineers have been desperately battling a feared meltdown at the 40-year-old plant since the earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems and fuel rods began overheating.
But chief government spokesman Yukio Edano said radiation levels from the plant posed no immediate health threat outside a 20-kilometres exclusion zone that has already been evacuated.
Important information:
*Donate to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Appeal: Call 1800 76 00 11
*Online at www.savethechildren.org.au
*DFAT assistance helpline: +61 2 6261 3305
*DFAT hotline for Australians concerned about family and friends: 1300 555 135
*Online at http://www.dfat.gov.au/
Human spirit in face of disaster
France's Nuclear Safety Authority said the disaster now equated to a six on the seven-point international scale for nuclear accidents, ranking the crisis second only in gravity to the level-seven Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
However, Yukiya Amano, the Japanese chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, insisted on Tuesday there was no comparison to the Chernobyl crisis, when radiation spewed across Europe.
Aside from the nuclear threat, the full scale of the quake and tsunami disaster was becoming clear as more details emerged of the staggering death and devastation in the worst-hit northeast.
"The number of people killed is increasing day by day and we do not know how many people have fallen victim," said the emperor, who is held in deep respect by many Japanese. "I pray for the safety of as many people as possible."
"People are being forced to evacuate in such severe conditions of bitter cold, with shortages of water and fuel.... I cannot help praying that rescue work is done swiftly and people's lives get better, even a little."
Millions have been left without water, electricity, fuel or enough food and hundreds of thousands more are homeless, stoically coping with freezing cold and wet conditions in the northeast.
Aomori governor Shingo Mimura said he desperately needed central government assistance to get hold of oil and relief supplies.
"We cannot possibly get out to rescue survivors nor reconstruct the devastated areas without oil," he said.
"There are a variety of problems, such as shortages of water, food and blankets as well as difficulties in delivering supplies," added Ryu Matsumoto, state minister in charge of disaster management.
Tokyo Electric Power Co said three-hour power outages on Wednesday would affect 10.89 million households.
The governor of Fukushima prefecture, home to the crippled nuclear plant, said people were at breaking point.
"The worry and anger of the people of Fukushima has been pushed to the limit," Yuhei Sato told NHK.
With nerves on edge across the world's third-biggest economy and beyond, people across Asia have been stripping shelves of essentials for fear of a major emission of radiation from the power plant on the east coast.
The Japanese government has warned that panic buying in towns and cities that have not been directly affected by the twin disasters could hurt its ability to provide aid to the devastated areas.
The normally heaving streets and subways of Tokyo were quieter than usual on Wednesday morning. The number of people sporting paper face masks has shot up, although the masks offer no real protection against radiation.
Radiation levels in the capital's vast urban sprawl of 30 million people have see-sawed without ever reaching harmful levels, according to the government.
But it has warned people living up to 10 kilometres beyond the 20-kilometre exclusion zone around the Fukushima plant to stay indoors. More than 200,000 people have already been evacuated from the zone.
Beyond Japan, Asian nations vowed to crack down on hoax messages warning about radiation spreading beyond Japan, which have helped stoke growing unease over the unfolding crisis.
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