Tohoku Expressway and Shinkansen Travel

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  A 35th Fighter Wing directive has declared the Tohoku Expressway and Shinkansen train lines between Sendai and Tokyo as safe for travel. While both routes penetrate the warm zone, surveys now define them as cold zone corridors. Approval for all official and unofficial travel for DoD personnel using these routes is released to normal group and unit commander policy. No medical clearance or issue of KI is required. Travelers should comply with the following guidance:
  • When using the Tohoku Expressway, plan to minimize stops between the Shirakawa exit and the Murata Junction. Apply normal speed and safety precautions. Stopping is authorized at expressway rest areas and service stations immediately adjacent to the route. Should a deviation from this guidance be required (such as a road detour due to construction), safely follow the detour route and report the deviation to your chain of command upon return. Units will forward deviation records to Bioenvironmental for data collection. Leaving the expressway, the above authorized areas, or spending a night at a stop within this cold corridor constitutes entry into the warm zone and requires authorization from the 35th Fighter Wing commander or vice commander. Travelers should be aware that they will pass through the city of Fukushima while driving the Tohoku Expressway. The city is NOT collocated with the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and should not cause travelers any concern.

  • When using the Tohoku Shinkansen, minimize time between the Shin-Shirakawa and Sendai stations. Do not plan to exit the train, unless a change of train is required, at any stops between these stations. Leaving the train station at any stop between the Shin-Shirakawa and Sendai stations constitutes entry into the warm zone and requires authorizationfrom the 35th Fighter Wing commander or vice commander.
Questions regarding the travel policy should be addressed through the chain of command. Personnel assigned to tenant units should check with their command for current guidance and travel restrictions.