The infrastructure ministry has been asked to come up with ways to ensure elevators are restored faster following an earthquake after it emerged that tens of thousands of people were trapped in upper floors of skyscrapers and high-rise apartments on Saturday night.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday that while it was good the elevators stopped after the earthquake to ensure safety, "it took too long to resume service."

"I will (give instructions to the ministry) so that services will be restored quickly," he told a regularly scheduled news conference.