The casualty count from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has climbed to 12,157 ... with an additional 15,496 people still unaccounted for.

A joint search by US and Japanese troops has now been called off, after their three-day hunt yielded 77 bodies. Domestic forces say they will keep looking for victims, but the scope of the mission will be less extensive.

Meanwhile, authorities in Fukushima say a three-day radiation detection operation will be launched at local schools on Tuesday, about 24 hours before students resume classes. Insurance firms will also start compensating disaster victims later this month. The companies appear set to dole out an estimated sum of 12 billion US dollars.