Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Ishikawa Prefecture on Sunday to inspect damage caused by the massive Noto Peninsula earthquake on New Year's Day.
The trip was the prime minister's first to areas affected by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake, which left 221 people dead in the central Japan prefecture, with 24 people still missing as of 2 p.m. Sunday.
Speaking to people at an evacuation center set up at a junior high school in Wajima, Kishida encouraged them to keep their hearts strong amid the difficult situation, while vowing that the government will make every effort to respond to the disaster.