Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda visited areas in northeastern Honshu on Wednesday that were devastated by Saturday's powerful earthquake as well as shelters for evacuees.

Fukuda left his official residence in Tokyo by helicopter Wednesday morning and viewed the hardest-hit regions, including areas along Route 398 and Aratozawa Dam in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, as well as the collapsed Komanoyu Hot Spring Inn where a number of people remain missing.

He then visited an elementary school in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, where those whose houses were damaged in the temblor are taking refuge and another shelter in Kurihara.

"Please don't worry because we're doing our best to prevent a secondary disaster," the prime minister told evacuees. "The national, prefectural and municipal governments are trying their utmost (to extend relief to evacuees), so I'd like you to endure the situation for a while -- just for a few more days."

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