French Interior Minister Claude Gueant said Thursday that French nationals returning from Japan will have to receive special medical examination for radiation fears.

On local radio Europe 1, the minister said French compatriots will "of course" take radiation checks once they return from Japan, and even for Japanese people who were confirmed radiated, France would like to treat them in specialized hospitals.

After warning all French citizens to leave the quake-hit Asian country, France has also displaced the 100-firefighter rescue team farther away from the dangerous nuclear plant, Gueant added.

Because the level of radioactivity 80 km from the plant was "alarming," they were ordered to remain 300 km from the nuclear center, the minister said.

With 58 nuclear reactors, France has the second nuclear generation power in the world, just following the United States. Nuclear power represents over 75 percent of the electricity consumed in France, according to latest data released by the World Nuclear Association.

Several French ministers as well as the head of the state have voiced confidence in France's nuclear safety and ruled out any quick alternatives to nuclear power in the country.

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