TOKYO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Sunday called on all departments and sectors concerned to exert "maximum efforts" in rescue and relief operations following Friday's catastrophic earthquake and ensuing tsunami and nuclear plant malfunctions in northeastern Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the government will use its contingency funds of some 200 billion yen (2.44 billion U. S. dollars) this month in rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile the Bank of Japan said it has provided a total of 55 billion yen in cash to 13 financial institutions in quake-hit areas.
As the government continued to wrestle with extensive damage caused by the disasters, the death toll has been rising.
Up to 1,049 deaths have been confirmed nationwide, according to a latest report from public broadcaster NHK.
Earlier in the day, Naoto Takeuchi, chief of the prefectural police, estimated that Friday's great quake and the ensuing tsunami is likely to claim more than 10,000 lives.
The death toll will surely top that figure in Miyagi alone, he said.
The police tallies showed that more than 2,000 people have died or remain unaccounted so far while in the worst-hit Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, authorities have found at least 600 bodies in the areas along the Pacific coast.
In quake-hit areas, tens of thousands of people lost contact with local authorities and up to 20,820 buildings have been destroyed or partially damaged.
Added to the casualties and damage was the Fukushima nuclear power plants paralyzed by the quake and ensuing aftershocks, which led to a shortfall of 10 million kilowatt per day in the service areas of the Tokyo Electric Power Co.(TEPOC), according to the power supplier.
Economy, Trade and Industry minister Banri Kaieda also warned that a shortage in electricity supply may occur in northeastern and eastern Japan.
He said that utility companies such as the Tokyo Electric Power Co.(TEPOC) and Tohoku Electric Power Co. will carry out planed power cuts to avoid massive power failures.
And Prime Minister Kan has approved The TEPOC's measure to implement the planned power outages in its service areas as of Monday.
Following Prime Minister Kan's order increase the size of Self- Defense Forces for quake relief operations from 50,000 to 100,000 troops, international efforts also got into high gear Sunday with the arrival of Chinese and U.S. rescue teams.
The number of countries and world organizations offering aid has reached more than 70, according to local media reports.
The 15-member Chinese rescue team arrived in Japan at around 12: 20 p.m. (0320 GMT) Sunday, bringing with them four tons of materials and equipment for search and rescue, power supply and telecommunications.
The American rescue team headed for Ofunato, a severely damaged coastal city in neighboring Iwate Prefecture to conduct rescue operations.
According to the foreign ministry, German and Swiss teams will head northeast for Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture, where about 10,000 people, over half the town's population, remain unaccounted for. 
