TOKYO, Mar. 11, 2011 (Kyodo News International) --
(Editors: ADDING INFO)
A total of around 160 Ground Self-Defense Force personnel and large vehicles have been dispatched to an area near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture to help evacuate local residents, a senior SDF officer said late Friday.
About 150 members of GSDF special units trained to deal with chemical disasters have been advancing toward the area, SDF chief Gen. Ryoichi Oriki said at a news conference at the Defense Ministry.
The members are expected to help examine radioactivity levels in the area should the need arise, the ministry said.
Thousands of residents near the nuclear plant have been ordered to evacuate due to a problem with a cooling system detected at one of the six reactors at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (OOTC:TKECY) plant.
Meanwhile, liaison officers from U.S. Forces Japan were being sent to the ministry to coordinate the disaster response of the SDF and U.S. forces, he added.
Around 300 aircraft and about 40 vessels of the SDF have been dispatched or are being prepared for dispatch to deal with the disaster, according to the ministry.