United States Preparing To Evacuate More That 87,000 Of Its Citizens From Japan

READ MORE: As the State Department flew its first group of evacuees out of Japan yesterday, the top U.S. military commander in the Pacific said the United States would be prepared to evacuate as many as 87,300 U.S. citizens.

Adm. Robert Willard, head of the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Command, said the U.S. is operating four commercial aircraft out of Narita Airport near Tokyo for citizens who want to leave the country.

The 87,300 people include U.S. military personnel and families in Japan, including the large naval base at Yokosuka, Willard said in a news teleconference from Camp H.M. Smith to the Pentagon.