So Tokyo is 150 miles from a nuclear disaster of possibly unprecedented magnitude.

[Warren Stupidity]

When is the Japanese government going to START the evacuation? After it is too late?

[Motown_Johnny]

1. they have something like a 12 mile evacuation in place now

It seems they feel that is sufficient



The winds seem to be blowing the radioactive materials out to sea.

[daleo]

16. Winds shift. n/t

[Xipe Totec]

2. How do you evacuate 13 million, and where do you put them? nt

[brooklynite]

3. This is a lose-lose situation...

Trying to evacuate 13 million people in an orderly manner is virtually impossible. I suspect they don't want to try unless they think they have to.

[adigal]

4. I think that is pretty far, and what if the wind follows anyway?

I doubt the Japanese will willfully sacrifice the entire population of Tokyo. Maybe US Republicans would sacrifice NYC, but not the Japanese govt.

[liberalmuse]

5. Someone just tweeted...

that 400 square miles around Chernobyl is still uninhabitable to this day. I feel sick.

[Robb]

14. The exclusion zone was about 130 square miles.

Some people do choose to live there today, oddly enough. But it's not a particularly good idea, and IIRC children are prohibited from living there by law.

[Matariki]

17. It's a 19 mile radius. Not that that's a good thing but it's less than 400.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_alienation

[TNLib]

6. At the widest point of japan it's 140 Miles 810 Miles long

I really don't think there is anyplace to go.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. 150 miles is an awefully long way when the winds are blowing the wrong way. Tokyo will be fine.

Tokyo is S-SW of Fukushima. The trade winds or jetstream are blowing E-NE. Radioactivity to worry about is beta or alpha related... there will have to be particulate fallout carried by winds to spread this kind of radioactivity. Tokyo should miss most, if not almost all, of the fallout. Heck, even Chernobyl only has about a 25mi radius exclusion zone around it.

I think Tokyo's biggest problem is going to be electricity related. A MAJOR power station is basically trashed and Japan, being a small densly populated island relies on an extremely industrial/technical society & economy.

[joentokyo]

8. People who write comments like this obviously have never been to Tokyo.

Can you suggest a plan for moving 13+ million people?

[anarch]

10. or a place to move them to?

:(

[joentokyo]

9. Did everyone leave NY on 9/11?

[thewiseguy]

11. What does 9/11 have to do with this? Are you serious?

[Junkdrawer]

12. How about mothers and small children?

:shrug:

[kestrel91316]

13. IMHO evacuating Tokyo is a non-starter. Nowhere to send all the people to.

[flamingdem]

15. 32 million people nt