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11 March 2011
Last updated at 09:34 ET
Britain will offer Japan the assistance it needs after it was hit by a massive earthquake which triggered a tsunami, the foreign secretary has said.
This could be humanitarian assistance or search and rescue teams, William Hague said, after chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency response committee.
There were no known British casualties but UK embassy staff were investigating the situation in Japan, Mr Hague said.
The Queen has sent a message of sympathy to the people of Japan.
Buckingham Palace said she had expressed to Emperor Akihito her sadness at the "tragic loss of life". Prince Charles also wrote to the emperor to say the news had come as a great shock.
The earthquake hit the north-east of Japan at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) on Friday, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 60 people.
It has emerged that the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra is safe after it was caught up in the 8.9-magnitude earthquake as it travelled from Tokyo to Yokohama.
Orchestra manager Fiona McIntosh said it had been a "terrifying experience".
Another Briton, Mike Hall, who lives in Hokkaido and is originally from Newport, South Wales, told the BBC: "Initially, I didn't pay any attention as we've had earthquakes before - but this time, it went on for longer and there were several big aftershocks."
Matthew Holmes, a 27-year-old from Nottingham, was at work in Shimokitazawa, west central Tokyo, when the earthquake hit.
He described the sensation as "like many shocks, joined up by a feeling of being on a wave".
Search and rescue teams from the UK - International Rescue Corps and Rapid UK - say they are on standby having both formally offered their services.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said they were on four hours' notice to fly to the disaster zone.
"It is clear Japan has some of the most sophisticated search and rescue people in the world, but if we are asked for any technical or additional support, then of course we will give it," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.
Guidance The Foreign Office says it is updating its travel advice for Britons in Japan and the Pacific region.
There are more than 17,000 British nationals resident in Japan, while a further 300,000 UK nationals visit the country each year.
The Foreign Office has given the following guidance:
"We are in contact with the Japanese government and I have asked our ambassador in Tokyo to offer all assistance we can as Japan responds to this terrible disaster.
"We are also working urgently to provide consular assistance to British nationals. Our embassy and consulates-general across Japan are in touch with local authorities and are making contact with British nationals to provide consular assistance.
"We have set up a crisis centre in the Foreign Office to co-ordinate our response and offer advice to anyone concerned about relatives or friends in Japan. We are not aware of any British casualties at this time."
'Power of nature' Earlier, David Cameron offered the Japanese people "condolences" and said the government would look at how it could help.
The prime minister said: "We've had a terrible reminder of the destructive power of nature, and everyone should be thinking of that country and their people, and I've asked immediately that our government should look at what we can do to help."
British Airways has cancelled its daily Heathrow service to Tokyo's Narita airport and Saturday's services to the UK from both Narita and Haneda.
Virgin Atlantic, which operates daily services to Tokyo from Heathrow, has cancelled Friday's flight to Narita and Saturday's service to the UK.
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This could be humanitarian assistance or search and rescue teams, William Hague said, after chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency response committee.
There were no known British casualties but UK embassy staff were investigating the situation in Japan, Mr Hague said.
The Queen has sent a message of sympathy to the people of Japan.
Buckingham Palace said she had expressed to Emperor Akihito her sadness at the "tragic loss of life". Prince Charles also wrote to the emperor to say the news had come as a great shock.
The earthquake hit the north-east of Japan at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) on Friday, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 60 people.
It has emerged that the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra is safe after it was caught up in the 8.9-magnitude earthquake as it travelled from Tokyo to Yokohama.
Orchestra manager Fiona McIntosh said it had been a "terrifying experience".
Another Briton, Mike Hall, who lives in Hokkaido and is originally from Newport, South Wales, told the BBC: "Initially, I didn't pay any attention as we've had earthquakes before - but this time, it went on for longer and there were several big aftershocks."
Matthew Holmes, a 27-year-old from Nottingham, was at work in Shimokitazawa, west central Tokyo, when the earthquake hit.
He described the sensation as "like many shocks, joined up by a feeling of being on a wave".
Search and rescue teams from the UK - International Rescue Corps and Rapid UK - say they are on standby having both formally offered their services.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said they were on four hours' notice to fly to the disaster zone.
"It is clear Japan has some of the most sophisticated search and rescue people in the world, but if we are asked for any technical or additional support, then of course we will give it," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.
Guidance The Foreign Office says it is updating its travel advice for Britons in Japan and the Pacific region.
There are more than 17,000 British nationals resident in Japan, while a further 300,000 UK nationals visit the country each year.
The Foreign Office has given the following guidance:
- British nationals should make contact with the British Embassy in Tokyo on +(81) 3 5211 1100 or the Consulate-General in Osaka +(81) 6 6120 5600 and monitor local TV and radio for evacuation information
- Friends and relatives of those in Japan can contact the Foreign Office in the UK on 020 7008 0000
- Radio stations in the Tokyo area that have emergency information in English include the US Armed Forces station at 810AM and InterFM at 76.1FM
- British nationals at evacuation sites should co-operate with the Japanese authorities and clearly identify themselves as British
- Those connected with larger organisations such as companies, schools or church groups should also try to let these organisations know of their situation if possible
"We are in contact with the Japanese government and I have asked our ambassador in Tokyo to offer all assistance we can as Japan responds to this terrible disaster.
"We are also working urgently to provide consular assistance to British nationals. Our embassy and consulates-general across Japan are in touch with local authorities and are making contact with British nationals to provide consular assistance.
"We have set up a crisis centre in the Foreign Office to co-ordinate our response and offer advice to anyone concerned about relatives or friends in Japan. We are not aware of any British casualties at this time."
'Power of nature' Earlier, David Cameron offered the Japanese people "condolences" and said the government would look at how it could help.
The prime minister said: "We've had a terrible reminder of the destructive power of nature, and everyone should be thinking of that country and their people, and I've asked immediately that our government should look at what we can do to help."
British Airways has cancelled its daily Heathrow service to Tokyo's Narita airport and Saturday's services to the UK from both Narita and Haneda.
Virgin Atlantic, which operates daily services to Tokyo from Heathrow, has cancelled Friday's flight to Narita and Saturday's service to the UK.
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