US urges citizens to remain 50 miles away from Japanese nuclear plant

The U.S. government is urging American citizens in Japan to move at least 50 miles from a "deteriorating" nuclear plant, a much larger distance than the Japanese government is urging.

But White House press secretary Jay Carney disputed the idea that the Japanese are downplaying the threat from the Fukushima Daiichi plant even as the situation continues to spread fear around the globe. 

Carney said that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) made the recommendation of 50 miles based on its own independent analysis.

"This is the same advice they would give if an incident like this were occurring in the United States," Carney said.

The Japanese government has told its citizens to evacuate at least 20 kilometers from the site.

"I don't think there's disagreement here about the security of the situation at all," Carney said

The NRC uses different standards than the Japanese government, Carney said. NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko briefed President Obama at the White House Wednesday morning where Jaczko suggested the 50-mile buffer. That suggestion then became the official advice of the State Department.

This post was updated at 3:45.