China concerned about safety citizens in Japan

BEIJING: China said on Tuesday it was ‘very concerned’ about the safety of its citizens in Japan as it announced plans to evacuate Chinese from the quake-hit nation's disaster zone.

"The (Communist) party and state leaders are very concerned about the safety of Chinese nationals in Japan," ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.

Jiang spoke after the Chinese embassy in Japan began an operation to help its citizens get out of danger areas and return home to China as fears mounted over radiation leaks from a stricken nuclear plant.

The embassy in Tokyo issued an urgent notice, saying it was sending buses to four areas in Japan including Miyagi and Fukushima -- where the damaged nuclear power station is located.

"Our embassy has sent working groups to affected areas coordinating with the Japanese side to help the evacuation work," Jiang said.

The Chinese consulate in Niigata on the western coast said 20 buses had been sent to pick up 900 people after last Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting devastating tsunami, which have killed more than 2,400 people so far.

There are about 33,000 Chinese nationals living in five disaster-hit Japanese prefectures, the official China News Service said.(AFP)