Japan facing 'most severe crisis since World War II', says prime minister

March 13, 2011 Amongst the aftermath of a magnitude 8.9 earthquake which struck on Friday, followed by a tsunami,, the of Japan,  claimed that the country is experiencing its largest difficulties since the end of World War II in 1945.

"The current situation of the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear plants is in a way the most severe crisis in the past 65 years since World War II," Kan said. Speaking on television, he stated that "[w]hether we Japanese can overcome this crisis depends on each of us. I strongly believe that we can get over this great earthquake and tsunami by joining together."

Kan reported that there were limited supplies of electricity due to the closure of numerous, including located in. According to, a broadcasting organization in Japan, approximately 310,000 individuals have been transported to safety in shelters that, in various cases, do not contain electricity.

The has reported the deaths of one thousand individuals, although thousands of others have not been taken into account. The police have claimed that the death toll in as a result of the earthquake and tsunami could be in excess of ten thousand. 100,000 troops - which equates to approximately 40% of the country's armed forces - are said to have been committed to assisting with the survivors of the disasters.

The nuclear agency of Japan consider the circumstances at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant to be Level 4 on the, which is. According to, incidents like this usually cause one person to die from causes related to radiation. No individuals from the power plant are reported to have died.