The number of confirmed dead and people listed as missing from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeast coast topped 28,000 on Monday, the National Police Agency said.
The agency - which collects data from the prefectures affected - said that 10,901 had been confirmed dead and 17,649 listed as missing as of 3:00 pm (0600 GMT) as a result of the March 11 catastrophe.
A total of 2,776 are listed as injured.
The quake has become Japan's deadliest natural disaster since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed more than 142,000 people.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and have taken shelter in emergency facilities.