As you most likey know, north-eastern Japan was hit hard by a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011. Fukushima Prefecture's coastline was deeply affected, and many people lost their lives. But not only did Fukushima have to contend with an earthquake and tsunami, we had a nuclear disaster on our hands also! The situation now seems to be under control, with minimal disruption to most of the prefecture, but the conditions here regarding radiation contamination will probably be causing deep concern for you. This page is designed to give you up to date information on what things are actually like here on the ground, what to do in the event of an earthquake and other natural disasters, safety information, written accounts from JETs living and working here, and other useful links. Please read through it carefully.

RADIATION LEVELS BY AREA ~ MAY 18 ~

GOVERNOR SATO'S MESSAGE ~ MAY 13 ~

RADIATION LEVELS IN WATER ~ MAY 18 ~

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Putting Radiation Levels in to Perspective This is a useful little graph to show the different levels of radiation involved in a variety of common activities in daily life, and their effects on the human body. The graph shows levels in MILLISIEVERTS (msv). This is different to measurements called microsieverts (usv), which are 1/1000 of the amount. The conversion looks like this: 1msv = 1000usv

Fukushima International Association This website provides loads of useful information for foreigners living in Fukushima Prefecture. It contains plenty of up to date information about the current situation here, including radiation levels by area (updated daily) and radiation levels in the water (updated often).

Prepare for Earthquakes This set of guidlines outlines what to do in the event of an earthquake, and provides other useful information to be prepared in the event of a disaster.

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Fukushima Life (FIA) This website provides a list of useful online resources related to disaster response, so be sure to take a look at it in order to be as prepared as possible.

JET Response Stories & comments from JETs in Fukushima who have experienced things first-hand. Be sure to have a read through their experiences to get an accurate picture of how things were in Fukushima and the current situation on the ground.