Japanese nuke fears grow; is West Coast at risk, too? NEWS WORSENS: Efforts suspended at stricken plant; some citizens decide to flee; CLOSER TO HOME: U.S. faces little danger even in worst-case scenario, experts say.(News)

Byline: Barbara Demick And Mark Magnier; Los Angeles Times

SENDAI, Japan -- To stay or go. To trust government reassurances or heed more alarmist warnings spread by the Internet of radioactive clouds wafting over Tokyo. These are among potentially life-altering questions being pondered by millions of Japanese in range of the crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.

The past 24 hours brought more disturbing news: another fire at the power plant's No. 4 reactor and a surge in radiation that prompted officials to suspend efforts to prevent a meltdown at one or more of the reactors. Japan's nuclear-safety agency said 70 percent of the fuel rods may have been damaged at the No. 1 reactor, and Japan's national news agency, Kyodo, said 33 percent of the fuel rods at the No. 2 reactor were damaged.

The government ordered hundreds of people who had ignored an earlier evacuation notice and remained within 12.5 miles of the plant to get out. Those within 19 miles were told to stay indoors.

Fukushima Daiichi's operator, Tokyo Electric Power, said officials are considering spraying water and acid by helicopters and firetrucks into the plant's reactors to prevent further radiation from leaking.

Yet, with each fresh report from the stricken plant and despite assurances that those farther away are not at great risk, people living beyond the evacuation zone, including some in Tokyo 170 miles to the south or in Sendai about 50 miles north, have decided to depart.

"The first few days I wasn't that worried about the nuclear situation, but now I'm getting worried. It's more serious," said Rotaro Sakai, 24, an engineering student in Sendai, who queued up at 6 a.m. to snag a coveted bus ticket to Yamagata, to the northwest.

People seem to be basing their departure decisions on a combination of technical assessments and emotional tugs, leavened with a healthy dose of skepticism over government credibility.

They pore over weather reports, to determine which direction the wind is likely to blow. And they intently study diagrams of fuel-rod cooling systems, weighing the staggeringly technical information against statements by authorities not to worry.

"It is difficult to make an objective decision," said Masatoshi Onodera, 67, a Sendai retiree who was squinting at a complicated diagram of a containment vessel on the front page of a newspaper. "As far as what the government is telling us -- well, I guess 80 to 90 percent of it is true."

Within families, there are debates about what to do: Yumi Matsuya, a housewife from Sendai, says she doesn't worry much about radiation, but her teenage daughters would like to leave.

"I'm scared," said Haruka, 16. "I worry about the effect on my body, about getting cancer later. And I don't believe the government. I think they're lying about something."

Distrust for official information is a legacy of a long history of alleged lies and cover-ups by Tokyo Electric, the plant's owner. The Japanese Cabinet's spokesman, Yukio Edano, is holding news conferences several times a day, on every occasion advising the public to "stay calm" -- what might be the national mantra.

"The government is making a decision about what information to release, balancing the public's right to know versus preventing a panic," said Richard Tanter, a senior research associate with the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability.

In downtown Sendai, long lines formed at the bus station. The city is still largely without water, electricity and gasoline, making it increasingly difficult for people to drive.

Foreign countries have taken different approaches to the radiation threat. France has advised its citizens who are in Tokyo to leave, if possible. The United States has said Americans simply should follow the same procedures that Japan has suggested for its people -- in the event of a larger nuclear contagion, wearing masks, staying indoors and covering skin.

Even many normally patient Japanese are expressing deep irritation over the nuclear unease.

"We're worried, and the government attitude toward this accident has been very inadequate," said Hitomi Yamashita, 40, a railway-service desk worker employed in Sendai who grew up in Onagawa, about 15 miles closer to the wounded nuclear reactors. "They don't tell us what we should do, don't provide good advice. At school, there's very little explanation for our children. This is our children's health we're talking about. I'm very, very, very angry and very concerned about getting through the next little while."

Most people in Sendai have yet to formulate contingency plans, saying their skepticism of the government hasn't reached the level of active distrust. Nonetheless, many are taking small precautions.

Toshiko Tsuzuki, 55, said she bought face masks for her family as the possibility of fallout -- and stormy weather -- has increased. "We're afraid of rain and snow," she said. "We know from Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it can spread radiation when precipitation falls."

"I'm very worried about the nuclear danger," said Sayaka Takahashi, an office worker. "That's why I bought this hat," referring to a floppy beige fishing hat adorned with cartoon characters. "I hope it will help me cover up."

She also is betting that the 50 miles separating Fukushima from Sendai would provide enough distance to escape a looming peril. Her rough plan in case of disaster is to head toward Hokkaido, Japan's main northern island, although the gasoline shortage presents a problem.

"I don't want nuclear plants. I want natural energy or wind," she said. "On TV, the government says the nuclear plant should be all right, but I don't trust them. We now put our trust in chain letters."

These e-mails, circulated from account to account, offer advice supposedly from someone who knows someone working at a nuclear plant. Many tell readers to wear hats, keep their skin covered and use an umbrella, saying snow or rain shouldn't be touched after an accident.

"I don't know if they're true or not," said Asuka Kikuchi, 23. "But many people trust them more than the government."

The reasons for confusion are clear. In an NHK radio broadcast Tuesday morning, an announcer reported another reactor fire, the fourth in as many days. The station broadcast a correction minutes later: There had not been a fire. The first journalist then returned to the air to repeat that there had been another reactor fire. The broadcast then switched to classical piano and violin music.

Information from The Associated Press and The Washington Post is included in this report.

Key developments

Nuclear crisis: Japan suspended operations to prevent reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant from melting down after a surge in radiation made it too dangerous for workers to remain at the facility. A new fire broke out at the No. 4 reactor earlier Wednesday. Officials said 70 percent of fuel rods at the No. 1 reactor were significantly damaged, and news reports said 33 percent of fuel rods were damaged at the No. 2 reactor. Officials said they would use helicopters and firetrucks to spray water in a desperate effort to prevent further radiation leaks.

Deaths, missing: 6,000 people are officially confirmed as dead or missing, according to police. The latest confirmed death toll stands at 3,373.

Medical woes: Hospitals, short of medicine and supplies, are struggling to treat seriously injured or ill patients, and overwhelmed local officials have not been able to secure enough space for morgues and coffins. A blackout has made it impossible to create dry ice to pack bodies. Some 500,000 people have been displaced or evacuated.

Seattle Times news services

CAPTION(S):

Toshirharu Kato / Japanese Red Cross/IFRC via Getty Images: An image provided by the International Federation of Red Cross Japan shows civil-defense teams as they search for survivors Tuesday in Otsuchi. Rescuers pulled survivors, including a 70-year-old woman, from the debris more than 90 hours after Friday's magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami. (0416225053)

Shiho Fukada / The New York Times: A woman cries Tuesday as she looks through a missing-persons list of evacuees at a temporary shelter in the devastated town of Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture. (0416224732)

Kyodo News: A woman reacts to news of a relative's death in Kenennuma, Miyai prefecture. Japan's official death toll is 3,373. (0416216111)

The New York Times: The toll so far (_Ident_1)

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