<p>The damage caused by the quake that struck Friday was amplified by tsunami waves slamming Pacific coastal regions in northeastern Japan.<br /><br />Up to 300 bodies were recovered in Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi prefecture, Xinhua reported, citing broadcaster NHK.<br /><br />A total of 725 people have still been unaccounted for in six prefectures, the report said.<br />The number of victims of the catastrophe is expected to rise to well over 1,000 people, the defence ministry said Saturday.<br /><br />The National Police Agency said around 1,800 houses in Fukushima prefecture were destroyed.<br /><br />Search and rescue efforts are being conducted with the help of the US military, with around 20,000 personnel, nearly 200 aircraft and 25 boats being dispatched to the hardest-hit northeastern region.<br /><br />Prime Minister Naoto Kan Saturday inspected a quake-hit nuclear power plant in Fukushima, where damage from a radioactive leak is feared. He also toured other affected areas.<br />"I realised the huge extent of the tsunami damage," Kan told reporters after returning to Tokyo.<br /><br />The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant opened the valves of the containers housing the reactors to reduce pressure, a move that led to the release of a small amount of radioactive steam.<br /></p>
<p>The damage caused by the quake that struck Friday was amplified by tsunami waves slamming Pacific coastal regions in northeastern Japan.<br /><br />Up to 300 bodies were recovered in Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi prefecture, Xinhua reported, citing broadcaster NHK.<br /><br />A total of 725 people have still been unaccounted for in six prefectures, the report said.<br />The number of victims of the catastrophe is expected to rise to well over 1,000 people, the defence ministry said Saturday.<br /><br />The National Police Agency said around 1,800 houses in Fukushima prefecture were destroyed.<br /><br />Search and rescue efforts are being conducted with the help of the US military, with around 20,000 personnel, nearly 200 aircraft and 25 boats being dispatched to the hardest-hit northeastern region.<br /><br />Prime Minister Naoto Kan Saturday inspected a quake-hit nuclear power plant in Fukushima, where damage from a radioactive leak is feared. He also toured other affected areas.<br />"I realised the huge extent of the tsunami damage," Kan told reporters after returning to Tokyo.<br /><br />The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant opened the valves of the containers housing the reactors to reduce pressure, a move that led to the release of a small amount of radioactive steam.<br /></p>