Japanese Emperor Deeply Worried, Prays for His People

TV stations interrupted programming to show the sombre-looking emperor describing the natural disaster as "unprecedented in scale". Photo by CNN

Japanese Emperor Akihito has said he is "deeply worried" about the crisis his country is facing following last Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

In a rare appearance, Akihito, 77, went on live TV to make his first public comments on the disaster, and said he was praying for the people.

"I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times," he said.

A televised address by a sitting emperor is usually reserved for times of extreme crisis or war.

The emperor spoke after technicians were forced to temporarily abandon a quake-crippled nuclear plant.

The 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami has killed thousands of people.

TV stations interrupted programming to show the sombre-looking emperor describing the natural disaster as "unprecedented in scale".

Akihito said he prayed that every victim of the quake and tsunami could be saved.

Thousands are missing and at least 10,000 feared dead after the disaster, which flattened swathes of the country's north-east coast.

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