This article from the Daily Telegraph gives us the story of an expat who has stayed behind in Japan to face the ongoing nuclear crisis:
Mr Kent, who has two children with his Japanese wife, says that he estimates more than half of his British friends and colleagues have relocated to Osaka or Hong Kong since the crisis began – many with the help of the FCO, who have been block-booking seats on commercial flights. He, however, is determined to stay.
…
“The British embassy has been giving simple and clear advice and it’s more than enough. But I’ll continue to follow the Japanese government’s advice, as I believe we are more than far enough away,” he said. “There is no panic here – people continue to be calm and try and carry on. I’m trying to get back to normal by spending – the government are going to need my taxes more than ever now.”
Is this smart? Many expats who stay behind stay because they simply don’t have the money to get out. But for expats who have the money, what possible reason is there to stay? The expat in this story has married a local citizen and has started a family there. Perhaps moving would mean a disruption for the children?
Evacuation is an advantage others don’t have
As an expat you can legally move back to your home country, permanently. The people around you will not have this advantage if they are citizens of the local country, particularly if the country you reside in is a developing one. In many cases your embassy will fly you out of the country for free.
While I think it is admirable that Mr. Kent in the article above feels obligated to help Japan through his taxes. But Japan is one of the world’s largest creditors and as a developed country with a large economy it has access to credit lines that many other countries don’t have. It will easily have the ability to pay to rebuild its economy. The meager contribution of an expat is unnecessary.
My advice to expats facing similar situations, and I can guarantee there will be disasters of this magnitude at some point in the future, is to do what your own country requests of you. As much as you may think you are part of the fabric of your new country, know that in times of emergency governments will lie to keep the populace from panicking. In this case most countries have recommended that their citizens leave immediately from Japan. This seems to be the most pertinent course of action for expats in that country.
