Both the ruling and opposition parties must rise above the fight over the no-confidence motion this week and quickly focus their efforts on rebuilding the quake-hit areas in Tohoku, Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai said Friday in Tokyo.

Out of the three prefectures hit hardest by the March 11 disaster, Miyagi's toll is by far the worst at more than 9,100 deaths confirmed.

The number of people living in evacuation centers has decreased since peaking at 320,885 on March 14, but 26,000 still remain without a home in the tsunami-hit prefecture.