MINAMISANRIKU, Japan - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has toured a region of Japan badly damaged in last month's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

Gillard is the first foreign leader to travel to the devastated zone. She was given a tour of the rubble of Minami Sanriku on Saturday by Mayor Jin Sato. She was shown the red skeleton of the disaster management building destroyed in the mammoth wave.

Later, the Australian leader visited an evacuation shelter and gave toy koalas to children.

Gillard was on the last day of her four-day tour of the country. She was headed to South Korea on Saturday night.