There have been no reports so far of any New Zealand casualties in Japan following Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) says.
MFAT, in a statement about noon today, said staff in Wellington and Japan were making on-going efforts to contact a small number of New Zealanders in the affected areas, where Japanese media say the number of dead or unaccounted for was expected to exceed 1800.
It is believed there are more than 6000 New Zealanders in Japan while MFAT said were 828 were registered as being there.
MFAT is advising against all non-essential travel to Tokyo, and advising against tourist and non-essential travel to the affected areas because of disruptions to essential services.
People with concerns about family in Japan should try contact them directly in the first instance, then contact MFAT on phone 0800 432 111, or if calling from overseas +64 4 439 8000.
