Golf star Tiger Woods cancelled his visit to Japan next month, following the quake-tsunami tragedy, his sponsors Nike said on Wednesday.

The stop-off was to be part of Nike's Asian "Make it Matter" tour, promoting golf among young fans, which will still visit China and South Korea, starting on April 12.

The 9.0-magnitude quake and monster tsunami have left nearly 21,000 dead or missing along Japan's eastern Pacific coast and crippled a nuclear power plant, 250 kilometres (155 miles) from Tokyo.

Many foreign companies and embassies have relocated their employees to Osaka, 400 kilometres from the capital, as a precaution.

© 2011 AFP/sid