OTTAWA - Canada is chartering buses to get Canadians away from a possible nuclear meltdown in northern Japan.
The Foreign Affairs Department says 16 Canadians were bused out of the region around the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday.
They travelled on buses supplied by the governments of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Britain.
Canada has chartered two more buses that will return to the area Friday to pick up the approximately 185 registered Canadians still in affected region.
The nuclear power plant has been leaking radiation since it was damaged by last Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Foreign Affairs is urging Canadians within 80 kilometres to evacuate the area.
Ottawa says there isn't a radiation health risk to Canadians travelling into or out of Japan so long as they have not been within the evacuation zone.
Australia, Britain and Germany advised their citizens in Japan on Wednesday to consider leaving Tokyo and earthquake-affected areas.
Canada is advising against non-essential travel to Tokyo and the hardest-hit regions.
