Japan to check radiation levels
2006-10-09 16:14
Tokyo - Japan's military is to deploy
several jets to collect air samples for checks on radiation
levels following North Korea's announcement that it had
conducted a nuclear test, the defence agency said on Monday.
The air force would fly its T-4s from three bases to gather
data for analysis starting on Monday evening, the agency said.
The Japanese military regularly checks air radiation
levels, but this would be only the second deployment in
response to a particular incident, Kyodo news agency said.
The
first occasion was the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Earlier on Monday, a government official said Japan had
detected no abnormalities at its radiation monitors.
Stay calm
The top
government spokesperson urged people to remain calm even if
radioactive material had been dispersed by the North Korean
test.
"It would be minimal, and effect on humans and the
environment would not be a problem," chief cabinet secretary
Yasuhisa Shiozaki said, adding that the judgment was based on
past experience. He did not elaborate.
North Korea said earlier the country had carried out the
test successfully and safely.
"They said it was conducted safely," said Jun Takada, an
expert on radiation at Sapporo Medical University.
"Of course, we don't know how safe that was.
But even if
there was an accident with 10% leakage, Japan is 800km
away, so any radiation would be less than the amount
in nature - less than that used in a hospital exam with
barium."
Japan has radiation monitors near its 55 nuclear
generators.
- Reuters