Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has said the government will strengthen its response to the earthquake that hit central Japan. He also promised continued support for people suffering from the disaster.

Kishida was speaking at a news conference two days after the magnitude 7.6 quake struck the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture.

The prime minister pledged to prioritize saving lives. He said to this end, he has increased the number of Self-Defense Forces to be mobilized in disaster zones to 2,000. He said the SDF and police will more than double the number of rescue dogs.

Kishida noted that transport of relief supplies is crucial as affected people may have to live in temporary shelters for a longer period of time.

He said that food and daily necessities sent by the government have begun reaching a logistics hub in Ishikawa Prefecture thanks to cooperation from the private sector. He said distribution of the supplies to affected municipalities started early Wednesday.

The prime minister stressed that the government will continue providing supplies based on people's needs.

Kishida also touched on Tuesday's airport crash involving an plane transporting supplies to the disaster zone. He said government offices have secured a variety of transport routes for relief supplies and that the collision does not seem to be affecting the logistics.