Many foreign embassies in Tokyo close or move elsewhere after quake+

TOKYO, March 23 Kyodo -
Many foreign embassies in Tokyo have temporarily closed or relocated their functions to elsewhere in Japan following the recent earthquake and amid the ongoing crisis at the nuclear power station in Fukushima Prefecture.
By Wednesday, about 15 African and other countries have shuttered their offices in Tokyo while another 10 or so nations including those from Europe moved their embassies outside the capital, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The number will likely rise if radiation fears heighten as the damage control efforts at the nuclear facilities drag on, political observers say.
While many embassies say their Tokyo offices will remain shut throughout this month, the Angolan Embassy, for example, has said it will operate in South Korea for some time.
So far Osaka has been the most favored relocation site and is now home to the embassies mainly of European countries such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
The Finnish Embassy is now in Hiroshima and the Panamanian Embassy is in Kobe, while the Bulgarian Embassy has moved part of its operations to Fukuoka.
On the other hand, there are some holdouts. The Italian, Canadian and Spanish embassies made official statements that they will stay in Tokyo.
The Spanish Embassy, for example, flew its national flag at half-mast for three days after saying it will continue its work to meet all the needs of its Spanish nationals and the Japanese people.
A total of 149 countries have embassies in Japan, while the European Union also has its delegation here, according to the Foreign Ministry.