UPDATE - US to extend military support to Japan amid devastating earthquakes

UPDATES WITH STATEMENTS OF US ENVOY TO JAPAN, CHINESE PREMIER, RISE IN DEATH TOLL; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US will extend military support to Japan as the country is grappling with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake which left at least 84 people dead and 79 others missing.

"When Japan is in a time of need, we're here to support them, both civilian with resources, military with logistics," said Rahm Emanuel, Washington's top diplomat in Tokyo.

Initially, the US aid "will be worth around $100,000 but that would be a 'down-payment',"Emanuel added, according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.

Central Japan has been hit by many earthquakes since Monday afternoon with magnitudes as strong as 7.6, causing widespread devastations, as many areas are yet disconnected.

Japan has been hit by around 600 tremors since Monday.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Noto region facing the Sea of Japan.

China also extended its condolences to Japan with Premier Li Qiang saying that Beijing was "ready to provide necessary support" to Tokyo's relief measures following the tremors.

On Wednesday, Li sent a condolences message to his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, saying he was "shocked" to learn the strong quakes caused heavy casualties and property loss.

Ishikawa province is the hardest-hit where most of the deaths were reported and saw massive destruction of buildings, mostly in Wajima city where people are reportedly still under the rubble. Thousands of households are without electricity.

According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, most of the deaths were reported in the cities of Wajima, 48, and Suzu, 23, in the province.

Japan has deployed thousands of soldiers in search and rescue operations while bad weather also affected the post-earthquake operations.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized an “all-out effort” to save “as many lives as possible during the first 72 hours of the disaster.”

His government is mulling to grant around 4 billion yen ($28 million) in response to the disaster.

More forces were deployed for search and rescue efforts, while the number of evacuated people in Ishikawa province rose to around 34,000, while some 110,000 households in Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata provinces are still without water.