The Japanese government on Friday suggested that residents living within a 20-30 km radius of the faltering Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may voluntarily evacuate the area to ease daily life.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said that the central government has relayed its views to prefectural leaders in the affected area that as many people have already evacuated the area and more are wanting to leave, it would be "preferable" for people to leave of their own volition.

Edano said that daily life was becoming increasingly difficult for people in the area due to a lack of distribution of essential goods, and as such the government would provide assistance for anyone wishing to relocate beyond 30 km from the stricken plant.

The government also said that however it has no plan to enforce a wider exclusion zone at this point, although local prefectural heads should remain alert and in a state of readiness should the central government issue an emergency, mandatory evacuation order.

Following the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tohoku region of Japan and knocked out the nuclear fuel cooling systems at reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi complex, the government issued a directive for people living within 20 km of the plant to evacuate and for those within a 20-30 km range to stay indoors and switch off air-conditioners.

While the government mulls whether a mandatory evacuation notice can be given for reasons of "living hardships" caused by a lack of regular supplies being delivered, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan on Friday recommended residents voluntarily evacuate the area as the plant has been giving off radiation for the best part of two weeks.

Separately, a spokesperson for the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the troubled plant's operator, said Friday that a cold shutdown of the six reactor facility in Fukushima could take months.

A reactor is in cold shutdown when its coolant system is at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature below boiling point.

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