Travel advice to Japan has been updated

THE travel advice for Australians in Japan has been updated, following advice on radiation exposure from earthquake-damaged nuclear reactors.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency says there’s “a very low to negligible chance of contamination” to Australians in affected areas.

But the agency has warned Australians to continue to stay away from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and Miyagi Prefecture on the east coast of Japan.

Australians should not enter the 20-30 kilometre exclusion zone around the Fukushima facility, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) updated travel advice says.

Meanwhile, Australians outside the affected areas in Japan “are extremely unlikely to be contaminated and the health risks are negligible”, the travel advice says.

As of 6.30am (AEDT) today, 3715 Australians are registered in Japan.

Of these 3230 have been confirmed as safe, including 119 in the worst affected areas, while 144 remain unaccounted for.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said 144 Australians, who were present in the disaster-affected areas when the earthquake and tsunami struck, remained unaccounted for this morning.

He told Channel Nine’s Today program that families who had made contact with loved ones in these areas should notify the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Crisis Centre to “enable us to reduce this list further”.

Mr Rudd says the number of Australians unaccounted for in Japan will continue to change.

“I’d rather not say it’s (the number) gone up or it’s gone down, it’s bouncing around,” he told ABC Television.

About 250 government officials are on the ground, and those in the worst-affected areas “are burning the midnight oil” in an effort to contact missing Australians.

A team is also based at the Narita International Airport, near Tokyo, to help Australians leave Japan.

Number of calls received in Canberra: 8481
Australians in Japan confirmed as safe: 3230
Number registered in Japan: 3715
Number safe in affected areas: 119
Number of Australians unaccounted for: 144

Concerned for Australians missing in Japan? Call DFAT on +1300 555 135.

Read more at news.com.au’s live blog.