Japan has said it would ban anyone entering a 20-km evacuation zone around the radiation-leakingFukushima nuclear plant. The legally-controlled off-limits zone around the plant , which is being enforced for the first time, covers about 27,000 households in nine municipalities. The government had already instructed residents of the areas to evacuate. National broadcaster NHK reported that from midnight tonight, anyone entering the banned area could be subject to fines. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the no-entry zone is aimed at protecting the health and safety of local residents as some of them have been returning home without sufficient radiation safety measures. Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Kan on Thursday visited the Fukushima prefecture where the nuclear plant is situated and said his government would compensate residents affected by the atomic crisis.