France says Japan lost control, French should leave

PARIS. March 16. KAZINFORM The French government said on Wednesday that Japan was losing control of the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant and urged its nationals in Tokyo to leave the country or head to southern Japan. Kazinform refers to China Daily.

The government has asked national carrier Air France to increase capacity on its flights between Tokyo and Paris to accommodate any additional demand from French citizens wanting to leave the Japanese capital.

Industry Minister Eric Besson said the situation at the Fukushima plant, some 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, appeared to be getting out of control.

Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet branded the situation in Japan a "catastrophe" and said the latest information on Wednesday "does not lead to optimism".

"We recommend that all French citizens who do not have a good reason to stay in Tokyo either take a plane or, if they absolutely insist on staying, head south," Kosciusko-Morizet said. She noted there was no official evacuation order.

Air France has increased the number of seats available on its Paris-Toyko route to 944 a day, from 871 normally, by using two Boeing 777 planes from Tuesday until Sunday.

"It seems that corresponds to the demand," Kosciusko-Morizet said.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon has said that only around 2,000 French citizens remain in the Tokyo area, down from 5,000 normally. Some 600 French people were believed to be in the Sendai region, the worst hit by Friday's earthquake and tsunami. Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version