TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Crisis Management Minister Bummei Ibuki said Wednesday he will ask local governments to request that people stay indoors while the abandoned Russian space station Mir descends through the atmosphere to crash into the Pacific.

"Although the possibility of damage that may come from falling debris is slight, I will ask the local governments to inform the public to stay indoors as much as possible during the time, as there is a risk," he said at a press conference.

Ibuki, who is also chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, said government personnel in crisis and disaster management roles at cabinet offices will be on full alert to deal with any incidents involving the 15-year-old space station's reentry.

Last Friday, Ibuki asked local governments in Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan, to tell residents to stay in their homes or offices on the day Mir is expected to pass over the region.

Russia has said that the 134-ton station will plunge to Earth on Friday afternoon Japan time (1:30 a.m. EST; 06:30 GMT). The orbital platform is expected to break up during its descent, with most of it burning up before it reaches Earth.

Afternoon plan

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology compiled an analysis on Mir's descent route. According to the analysis, Mir is expected to fire its engines for descent Friday around 2 p.m. Japan local time above the Black Sea.

The spacecraft will pass above the Japanese archipelago for more than 10 seconds and eventually drop in the south Pacific shortly after 3 p.m. local time.

Mir is likely to pass over Shimane, Hiroshima, Kagawa and Tokushima prefectures -- all in western Japan -- at an altitude between 105 and 95 miles (170 and 150 kilometers), the ministry said, adding there will be no danger if the descent occurs as planned.

However, the ministry said the route may deviate about 185 miles (300 kilometers) east or west of the expected course.

Fascination boosts tourist exhibit
Separately, a small science center on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido is witnessing astronomical increases in visitors and inquiries about an identical twin of the abandoned Russian space station it has on display.

The Tomakomai Science Center near the prefectural capital of Sapporo said the number of visitors to the city-run center has soared to 200-300 per day, compared to about 100 in the past, and more than 600 on Sundays since reports of Mir's imminent descent began circulating in Hokkaido.

The center received the Mir twin in September 1998 and opened a special exhibition hall for it in December 1999, a center official said.

The Soviet-era replica is 62 feet (19 meters) long, 13 feet (4 meters) wide and weighs 17.5 tons, according to the center, whose Mir exhibition hall has become part of Tomakomai city's "Let's study" program.

The official said the center will follow the station's descent via the Internet and other means.