OSAKA — Local governments nationwide are offering food, water, medical aid and officials to assist in the disaster-relief effort, as well as temporary shelters for those left homeless.
But with growing numbers of residents from Tokyo and other parts of the Kanto region leaving or thinking of leaving their homes due to fears of radiation from the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant about 270 km away, cities and businesses in western Japan and elsewhere are quietly discussing measures to deal with the possibility of a deluge of refugees.
Osaka and Kyoto prefectural officials and Kansai-area businesses, especially hotels, say nothing has been officially decided but informal discussions have begun among government officials and individual firms about how to handle a sudden influx of people from Tokyo who need hotels for the short to medium term or more long-term shelter.