The National Police Agency said 688 people are confirmed dead and 642 missing, with 1,570 injured in the disaster Friday afternoon.

The national police figure did not include a separate death toll from police in the city of Sendai, who said at least 200 and up to 300 bodies had been found on the shoreline.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's right-hand man and top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, earlier said it was believed more than 1,000 people had died.

Amid a mass rescue effort there were grim updates indicating severe loss of life along the hard-hit east coast of Honshu island, where the monster waves destroyed or damaged more than 12,250 homes and other buildings.

At least 2,400 houses were flooded by the tsunami, while more than 100 houses had been burned, police said, adding that there were 60 landslides.