No casualties among Vietnamese citizens in Japan due to earthquake - Embassy

TOKYO: No casualties among Vietnamese citizens were recorded due to the recent earthquake in Japan as of 9 pm Tuesday, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan citing updates from the National Police Agency of Japan.

Its Minister at the embassy, Nguyen Duc Minh emphasised the embassy’s swift response in disseminating timely updates to keep the Vietnamese community well-informed following the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that shook central Japan on Jan 1, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

A working group from the embassy has kept close contact with authorised agencies in affected localities of Japan as well as Vietnamese associations in respective areas to update information, guide, support and assist the Vietnamese people.

Minh said the embassy has asked local authorities and Japanese businesses receiving Vietnamese labourers to ensure Vietnamese citizens are evacuated to safe places, provide them with necessities, and give them instructions when necessary.

The Vietnamese Embassy has set up hotlines for its citizen protection, while forming a special working group to closely follow information, especially on the safety of its people who are either living, studying or working in localities affected by the earthquake.

On the collision between a Japan Airlines plane (JAL 516) and a Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) aircraft at Haneda Airport on Tuesday evening, the embassy also contacted local authorities.

To date, no Vietnamese individuals have been impacted by the incident.–Bernama-VNA