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12 March 2011
Last updated at 05:07 ET
Japan has requested help from the UK in the aid effort following the massive earthquake and tsunami, a Foreign Office spokesman has said.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake triggered a 10-metre tsunami wreaking destruction and claiming hundreds of lives.
Meanwhile, the UK embassy in Tokyo is trying to contact British nationals in Japan after the massive earthquake.
Ambassador David Warren said a "long list" of people not accounted for had been made, after calls from relatives.
The earthquake hit the north-east of Japan at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) on Friday, causing a tsunami.
The International Red Cross said the extent of the destruction was not yet known, but medical supplies, blankets, food and water were the priorities for those in need.
There are about 17,000 Britons living in Japan, but so far no known UK casualties, the ambassador said.
Continue reading the main story Help for Japan
In a warehouse in a remote corner of Cornwall, aid is being packed to be sent to Japan. There is an air of purpose here - and of gratitude that the volunteers can do something to help.
They are filling large green plastic boxes with enough survival equipment for 10 people. Each box is first numbered so it can be tracked through its entire journey.
The Shelterbox is then pushed along the ground with staff standing either side, adding items from the mountain of supplies.
First, the blankets go in, then the 10-person tent, then the ground sheets, then further down the production line pots and pans are added, followed by water purification equipment and even a small wood-burning stove.
It's an impressive operation to watch. They can get 1,000 boxes ready to go in a day.
Embassy and consular staff across the country have been in touch with local authorities and have been trying to make contact with British nationals.
Another consular team of eight are due to fly into Japan from Hong Kong on Saturday to help embassy staff. Other consular teams are on standby in London and the US, the Foreign Office added.
"Our responsibility here at the embassy is to help British nationals who may have been caught up in this terrible event.
"Our main activity today is to make contact with British people. We have a long list of people not accounted for, drawn up from a large number of calls to our crisis centre in the UK, from families who are trying to make contact with family members or loved ones here in Japan.
"We are aiming to get through this list and confirm the safety of as many people as as we can. We don't have any reports so far of British casualties but this is a major disaster, as we have all seen from the television, and the situation on the ground is very grave."
The vast majority of the 17,000 British people living in Japan are in Tokyo or Osaka, said Mr Warren, but phone lines in some areas outside the major cities were still cut off.
The Foreign Office has advised against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the north-east of the country.
Prime Minister David Cameron and the Queen have sent messages of sympathy to the people of Japan.
A British mother-of-three, Naomi Van Holbutt-Kirk, was collecting her children from school in Tokyo when the quake struck.
"The building was swinging like a giant pendulum," she said, but she managed to get her children outside, before another tremor shook them.
"The next quake came, which was very frightening and can only be likened to the feeling of riding a wave on the pavement. Frightened mothers were screaming and crying."
Search and rescue teams from the UK - International Rescue Corps and Rapid UK - were on standby.
The charity Shelterbox - which assembles boxes containing tents, bedding and other essentials - has sent two officials to Japan to assess the need for its help.
Search and rescue teams from 45 countries are said to be ready to help. The first to arrive in Japan will be from the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, the UN says.
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Britons in Japan.
The Foreign Office says British nationals and friends and relatives of those in Japan should contact it in the UK on +(44) 207 008 0000.
Meanwhile, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have cancelled flights between London and Tokyo over the weekend.
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The 8.9-magnitude earthquake triggered a 10-metre tsunami wreaking destruction and claiming hundreds of lives.
Meanwhile, the UK embassy in Tokyo is trying to contact British nationals in Japan after the massive earthquake.
Ambassador David Warren said a "long list" of people not accounted for had been made, after calls from relatives.
The earthquake hit the north-east of Japan at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) on Friday, causing a tsunami.
The International Red Cross said the extent of the destruction was not yet known, but medical supplies, blankets, food and water were the priorities for those in need.
There are about 17,000 Britons living in Japan, but so far no known UK casualties, the ambassador said.
Continue reading the main story Help for Japan
In a warehouse in a remote corner of Cornwall, aid is being packed to be sent to Japan. There is an air of purpose here - and of gratitude that the volunteers can do something to help.
They are filling large green plastic boxes with enough survival equipment for 10 people. Each box is first numbered so it can be tracked through its entire journey.
The Shelterbox is then pushed along the ground with staff standing either side, adding items from the mountain of supplies.
First, the blankets go in, then the 10-person tent, then the ground sheets, then further down the production line pots and pans are added, followed by water purification equipment and even a small wood-burning stove.
It's an impressive operation to watch. They can get 1,000 boxes ready to go in a day.
Embassy and consular staff across the country have been in touch with local authorities and have been trying to make contact with British nationals.
Another consular team of eight are due to fly into Japan from Hong Kong on Saturday to help embassy staff. Other consular teams are on standby in London and the US, the Foreign Office added.
"Our responsibility here at the embassy is to help British nationals who may have been caught up in this terrible event.
"Our main activity today is to make contact with British people. We have a long list of people not accounted for, drawn up from a large number of calls to our crisis centre in the UK, from families who are trying to make contact with family members or loved ones here in Japan.
"We are aiming to get through this list and confirm the safety of as many people as as we can. We don't have any reports so far of British casualties but this is a major disaster, as we have all seen from the television, and the situation on the ground is very grave."
The vast majority of the 17,000 British people living in Japan are in Tokyo or Osaka, said Mr Warren, but phone lines in some areas outside the major cities were still cut off.
The Foreign Office has advised against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the north-east of the country.
Prime Minister David Cameron and the Queen have sent messages of sympathy to the people of Japan.
A British mother-of-three, Naomi Van Holbutt-Kirk, was collecting her children from school in Tokyo when the quake struck.
"The building was swinging like a giant pendulum," she said, but she managed to get her children outside, before another tremor shook them.
"The next quake came, which was very frightening and can only be likened to the feeling of riding a wave on the pavement. Frightened mothers were screaming and crying."
Search and rescue teams from the UK - International Rescue Corps and Rapid UK - were on standby.
The charity Shelterbox - which assembles boxes containing tents, bedding and other essentials - has sent two officials to Japan to assess the need for its help.
Search and rescue teams from 45 countries are said to be ready to help. The first to arrive in Japan will be from the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, the UN says.
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Britons in Japan.
The Foreign Office says British nationals and friends and relatives of those in Japan should contact it in the UK on +(44) 207 008 0000.
Meanwhile, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have cancelled flights between London and Tokyo over the weekend.
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