Japan correspondent reports on situation in Tokyo
Today, we managed to get in touch with our Japan news corresspodent Jeffrey based in Tokyo.
Jeffery works in the IT industry in a MNC based there. He told us that many foreigners are now leaving the country and the situation is very tense. This is probably because many are worried of the radioactive substance which might head south.
Although many are leaving, he said that he is not as he felt the responsibility to a country that has hosted him for over 8 years. For safety reasons, he is sending his sister and niece back to his home country.
I asked if he is able to leave if situation is out of control. He said that he might be able as outbound plane tickets hiked up to USD 1500 single trip. He also mentioned that both Narita and Haneda are now jam packed with foreigners leaving the country.
Jeffery mentioned that locals are calm and they still get on with their life, going to work daily. He also observed that the streets are much quieter than usual. Convenience stalls staples like noddles sell out fast and they are not replenished that quickly as the priority goes to the quake zone in the North East of Japan.
I asked him if he is worried about the nuclear dust. He shrug it off saying that he is 250km away from the disaster zone. He is not worried at all.
I also asked him about if Akihabara shops are still opened. He heard from friends that most stores are closed. Perhaps a nuclear powered PC can be assembled in Tokyo.