Japan is experiencing its greatest hardships since World War II as it tackles the aftermath of an earthquake, tsunami and a growing nuclear crisis, Prime Minister Naoto Kan says.
In a televised statement, Mr Kan warned of sweeping power cuts to come.
He said the situation at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant remained grave, a day after an explosion at a reactor.
Meanwhile, police have warned that the death toll in tsunami-hit Miyagi prefecture alone could exceed 10,000.
Millions of survivors remain without electricity and authorities are stepping up relief efforts as the scale of the tragedy becomes clearer.
About 310,000 people have been evacuated to emergency shelters, many of them without power, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
Officials earlier announced that the number of troops helping with rescue work in the affected north-east region would be doubled to 100,000.
Naoto Kan said: "We as Japanese people can overcome these hardships"
"The current situation of the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear plants is in a way the most severe crisis in the past 65 years since World War II," Mr Kan said.
"Whether we Japanese can overcome this crisis depends on each of us.
"I strongly believe that we can get over this great earthquake and tsunami by joining together."
Mr Kan said the shutting down of the Fukushima plant and other power stations meant that electricity supplies were limited.
He said that from Monday there would be a program of rolling power cuts that would also affect water and gas supplies and some medical facilities.
Speaking after Mr Kan, government spokesman Yukio Edano said that although seawater was being injected into reactor 3 at the Fukushima plant to cool it, gauges were not showing the water levels rising.
Scale of nuclear accidents
Level 7 - Major release of radioactive material. Example: Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986
Level 6 - Significant release of radioactive material. Example: Kyshtym, Russia, 1957
Level 5 - Limited release of radioactive material. Example: Three Mile Island, US, 1979, and Windscale, UK, 1957 - Level 4 - Minor release of radioactive material with at least one death from radiation. Example: Tokaimura, Japan, 1999 - Level 3 - Exposure in excess of 10 times the statutory annual limit for workers
Level 2 - Exposure of a member of the public in excess of 10mSv (average annual dose is 1mSv)
Level 1 - Exposure of a member of public above statutory annual limit. Minor safety problems
(Source: UN nuclear agency, IAEA)
"We do not know what to make of this," he said.
On Saturday, a huge explosion blew apart the building housing reactor 1, where technicians had been venting steam to cool the reactor.
Cooling systems to both reactors failed after the 8.9 magnitude quake struck off the north-east coast.
About 170,000 people have been evacuated from a 20km (12.4 miles) area around the plant.
Japan's nuclear agency graded the situation at the Fukushima plant as a Level 4 incident on the International Nuclear and Radiological Events Scale (Ines).
Level 4 incidents normally involve at least one death from radiation, although no-one at the plant has died.
Meanwhile, scores of ships and aircraft are struggling to reach areas worst-hit by the tsunami.
International rescue teams are also flying into Japan following an appeal by the government.
Stricken Miyagi prefecture includes the port of Minamisanriku which was mostly swept away by the tsunami.
The BBC's Rachel Harvey, outside Minamisanriku, says roads to the town are blocked and emergency workers are finding bodies amid piles of debris.
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