Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has indicated that the government will make all-out efforts to provide better living conditions for survivors of the massive quake that hit Ishikawa and surrounding prefectures.

Kishida visited Ishikawa on Sunday for the first time since the disaster occurred on New Year's Day.

He met personnel of the Self-Defense Forces, police and fire department who are engaged in search operations and delivering food and other supplies.

He thanked the personnel for working in a severe environment. He asked them to be compassionate and to try to ease the evacuees' anxiety.

Kishida then visited a junior high school in Wajima City that has been turned into an emergency shelter.

Local officials told him that residents are reluctant to move to hotels and inns outside their communities -- what is known as secondary evacuation -- because of concerns about their future.

The officials also said they urgently need temporary housing, and infectious diseases are spreading among the evacuees.

Kishida said the situation remains tense but asked them to stay strong, adding that the government will do all it can for them.

Later in the day, the prime minister spoke with evacuees at a shelter in Suzu City.

A woman said secondary evacuation is difficult for people like her who have jobs and school-age children.

Kishida said he understands that evacuees cannot decide to relocate even temporarily if they are not sure whether they can return someday.

He said the government will help build temporary housing while promoting secondary evacuation so the affected people can have prospects for the future.