A mammoth relief mission is swinging into action in north-east Japan, a day after it was struck by a devastating tsunami, claiming hundreds of lives.
The disaster was triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the country's most powerful since records began.Japan's military has mobilised thousands of troops, hundreds of planes and dozens of ships.The government has warned there could be a radioactive leak at a nuclear power reactor shut down by the quakeThe tremor struck in the afternoon local time on Friday at a depth of about 24km, 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo.It was nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, scientists said.About 300 people are known to have died and more than 500 are missing. Japanese media says the death toll will exceed 1,000.Prime Minister Naoto Kan plans to hold an emergency cabinet meeting early on Saturday, before visiting the disaster zone by helicopter.The country's military has mobilised thousands of troops, 300 planes and 40 ships for the relief effort.US President Barack Obama said a US aircraft carrier was already in Japan, and another was on the way.The quake triggered a tsunami up to 10m (30ft), with waves of 7m battering the Japanese coast.A muddy torrent of water swept cars and homes far inland, turning residential areas and paddy fields into a lagoon of debris-filled sea water.