The leadership team of Tokyo-based recruitment firm Wahl & Case is staying put, despite advice from foreign offices around the world for ex-pats to return home, according to managing director Michael J Case.

As fears intensify around the explosions at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, Case told Recruiter: “We’re staying put absolutely. We have told our people that they can work from home and take time off but most of our people are Japanese so where are they going to go? We’re not about to bail on them as the leaders of the organisation.

“At some other firms, foreign leaders have left and have told their Japanese staff they should go and figure out something for themselves but we’re not about to do that to our staff.”

Case says that there have been some sensationalist stories. And although earthquakes were still happening and they were still dealing with some power outages in Japan, no one in Tokyo is that concerned, he adds.

“Internationally, the situation has been sensationalised in the media. I think the British Foreign Office’s advice has been a suggestion rather than a warning. The French Embassy has tried to send all its workers home.

“Both Casey Wahl, my partner, and myself are Americans and we have been here for about a decade. Our other director is Dutch — his embassy also gave some direction about leaving but he’s still with us, holding back.

“We have one staff member from Korea, one from Hong Kong but everyone else is Japanese and they have been coming into work normally since Monday. People create a sense of normalcy at these times — the only thing we can do is work hard and do our jobs. We have a lot of candidates and clients. Clients want to work as normal and in fact we have just had a verbal offer for one of our candidates.”