Police and the coast guard on Friday launched a three-day intensive search for people in Iwate Prefecture missing since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The operation will run through Sunday, the first anniversary of the disasters.
As of Wednesday, the number of missing stood at 1,297 in Iwate.
On Friday, the Iwate Prefectural Police sent 300 officers to tsunami-hit areas and beaches along the Pacific coast and assigned a boat to search for the missing at sea. The Japan Coast Guard sent 80 personnel to coastal waters.
Four divers searched Miyako Bay for victims who may be buried under tide barriers that were destroyed by the tsunami.
