A Chinese nuclear expert said Monday that nuclear leakage in Japan caused by Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami would not affect China.

Xu Mi, a renowned fast reactor expert at China National Nuclear Corporation and China Institute of Atomic Energy, told Xinhua that "Japan's nuclear leakage would not affect China," but it is still necessary to watch for developments.

He said that due to precise and effective measures taken, Japan's nuclear leakage would not have major impact on the country's public or the environment, nor would it pose a threat to China.

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency confirmed that an explosion occurred at one of Fukushima's nuclear power plants Monday morning. More than 180,000 people have evacuated the area and up to 160 may have been exposed to radiation, latest figures show.

"China should draw lessons from the nuclear leakage disasters happening in Japan and improve its emergency safety plan for nuclear energy plants," Xu said.

He said many Japanese plants, like the ones damaged by the quake and tsunami, were built in the early 1970s while many Chinese nuclear plants currently in operation were mostly constructed after the 1980s with newer technology.

He also noted that locations of China's plants were chosen in a more "conservative manner," on stable bed rocks far away from fault zones to ensure safety.