Japan's Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military started on Friday a large-scale operation to search for people still missing since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, NHK Television reported.
More than 16,000 people remain missing.
One hundred aircraft and 50 SDF vessels and about 20 aircraft and more than 10 vessels from the U.S. military are involved in the joint mission, the largest ever in Japan.
The search covers Pacific coastal areas in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, as well as waters up to 20 kilometers from shore.
However, the operation does not include the 30-kilometer exclusion zone around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which is still releasing radioactive substances.
The operation is to continue for three days.
MOSCOW, April 1 (RIA Novosti)
