By DPA,
Tokyo : A magnitude-9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that rocked northeastern Japan caused up to 25 trillion yen ($309 billion) in damage, the government said Wednesday.
The government estimated 16 trillion to 25 trillion yen in direct damage to houses, factories and social infrastructure from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The estimated cost of the disaster was much larger than the 9.6-trillion-yen loss from the 1995 Kobe earthquake in western Japan, which killed more than 6,400 people, and was not followed by a tsunami.
The government also expected the economy to contract by up to 0.5 percent.
The confirmed death toll stood at 9,408 at noon Wednesday (0300 GMT) with 14,716 missing, the National Police Agency said. The toll is expected to climb much higher.
The tremor and subsequent tsunami damaged 1,450 roads and 51 bridges and triggered 120 landslides, the agency said.