The Malaysian embassy in Tokyo is in touch with Malaysian citizens and students in areas most affected by yesterday's massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan.   

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that as of 5am (6am Japan time) today, the embassy had contacted 289 Malaysian citizens in the worst-hit prefectures.

The embassy was also in contact with Malaysians in other parts of the country, it said, adding that all of them were safe and there were no reports of casualties.   

japan earthquake and tsunami 2011 car 1 "The Malaysians in the most-affected areas have also moved to the safe areas designated by the Japanese authorities. Reports indicate that the Japanese authorities are handling the situation by taking all the necessary measures where possible," it said.

An 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan yesterday afternoon and triggered a 10-metre high tsunami which lashed onto the northeastern part of the country, resulting in up to 1,000 people killed in the twin disasters.   

The ministry and the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo were closely monitoring the situation in Japan, the ministry said.  

The embassy was also in close contact with the Japanese authorities for the latest updates on the situation and for any advisories, it added.  

The ministry said its operations room in Malaysia and the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo were operating round the clock until further notice.

Prime Minister Najib Razak and Foreign Minister Anifah Aman have conveyed their condolences and sympathy to their Japanese counterparts, it said.

Malaysia has also extended its offer of assistance to Japan, it added.

- Bernama