Summary

  • The number of people killed in a powerful earthquake in Japan which caused homes to collapse and triggered tsunami warnings is now known to be 48

  • Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, says the quake has caused numerous casualties and they face a "race against time" to rescue survivors

  • Around 1,000 rescuers are searching for people who they think may be trapped beneath the rubble

  • The Japanese military has been handing out supplies including food, water and blankets for those who have had to leave home

  • All tsunami advisories have now been lifted along the Sea of Japan, meaning there is no longer a risk of such an event

  • President Joe Biden says the US stands ready to provide any necessary assistance

  • The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the central region of Japan a little after 16:00 local time on Monday

  1. We're ending our coverage nowpublished at 15:17 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Jamie Whitehead
    Live reporter

    We are bringing our live coverage of this story to an end now.

    • You can read more in our news story here
    • And for more from Japan, our live coverage of the collision between two planes at Tokyo's Haneda Airport is continuing here

    Today's coverage was bought to you by our teams in Japan, Singapore and London.

    Thank you for joining us.

  2. A look back at what's happened todaypublished at 15:15 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    A woman stood outside a collapsed buildingImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    The quake caused the land to rise up more than 4m (13ft) and move 130cm west

    It's just after midnight in Japan and 15:00 (GMT) for our team in London, so we are going to end our coverage on this page and will continue to bring you more information across the BBC News Channel and the website.

    Here's a round up of what we know:

    • A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on 1 January just after 16:00 local time
    • The number of people killed from the quake currently stands at 48
    • Homes and buildings have collapsed, destroying neighbourhoods
    • Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida said emergency crews were "in a race against time" to search for victims trapped under any rubble
    • The quake caused the land to rise up more than 4m (13ft) and move 130cm west
    • Around 200 tremors have been detected since the quake hit, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency

  3. How Japan’s powerful earthquakes have shifted the landpublished at 15:05 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Jonathan Amos
    Science correspondent

    A house collapsed on top of a carImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    The power of this 7.5 quake caused the ground to rise up by more than 4m (13ft) in areas

    The power of the magnitude 7.5 quake in Japan can be seen in just how much the ground moved.

    It rose up by more than 4m (13ft) in places and moved sideways by over a metre.

    Earthquake-prone Japan is hugely advanced in monitoring what happens when the ground shakes. That's why it can make such precise measurements.

    There's a network of GPS stations dotted at strategic points right across the country. When an earthquake strikes, scientists can tell exactly how much each one has moved, showing how the landscape has buckled and shifted.

    This system shows that the land moved as much as 130cm to the west after the earthquake on Monday.

    You can read more on this here.

  4. Japan's tragic start to new yearpublished at 14:52 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Suranjana Tewari
    Reporting from Tokyo Haneda Airport

    It’s been a difficult few days for Japan. First a massive earthquake struck, initially raising concerns of tsunamis.

    In the country’s northwest, hundreds of homes have been flattened, people remain trapped and some are struggling to access clean drinking water.

    Twenty-four hours later, a major collision paralysed Tokyo’s Haneda airport. The smaller plane was actually going to deliver food to earthquake affected areas and take part in the response.

    Now five crew members from Japan’s Coast Guard, which was operating the smaller plane, have died as a result of the collision.

    You can follow our live coverage of the aircraft collision in Tokyo here.

  5. No irregularities reported at Japan's nuclear plantspublished at 14:30 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    An aerial view shows Shika Nuclear Power Station after an earthquake hitImage source, Kyodo via Reuters
    Image caption,

    The Shika Nuclear Power Station following the earthquake

    For many, the earthquake and tsunami warnings will have conjured dark memories of 2011, when a powerful earthquake and a massive tsunami caused the reactor at Fukushima to go into meltdown.

    Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority says were no irregularities have been found at plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at the Ohi and Takahama plants.

    But there have been power outages and oil leaks reported at the Shika plant, which was closest to the epicentre of the earthquake.

    No radiation is thought to have leaked from the plant - which is currently idle.

    The company which runs Shika says "no significant damage" has been found, but says it will continue to inspect as aftershocks continue.

    The earthquake comes at a sensitive time for Japan's nuclear industry, Reuters reports, with an operational ban on the country's biggest nuclear facility - introduced after the 2011 disaster – only being lifted last week.

  6. 'It just continued, and got bigger and bigger'published at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    People with helmets looking down at rubble left from the earthquakeImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    The earthquake recorded a maximum intensity of 7 on the Japanese seismic scale in the Noto Peninsula

    Barnie Davies lives in Kanazawa, a city that was shaken by the earthquake. He was at home when it started.

    "Recently we've had quite a few small earthquakes, but this one just continued and got bigger and bigger”, he says.

    "It lasted about a minute-and-a-half. It was really quite scary."

    Barnie says his fridge door was banging open, and books and photos were flying off shelves.

    He explains: "As it started I thought it was another small one so I started taking a video for my family, but then it just got worse.

    “When I went upstairs everything had fallen down."

    Barnie’s wife and daughters were out shopping when the earthquake struck. They had to crouch down, cover their heads and evacuate because of alerts.

    He said he was more worried about his family at that point. They have now evacuated their home and taken shelter in the local school gym.

  7. 'The whole building started shaking from side to side'published at 13:31 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Lauren Cullen with friendsImage source, Lauren Cullen
    Image caption,

    Lauren Cullen, left, celebrating New Year with with friends before the earthquake

    A student from Fareham, Hampshire, has described how she was resting after New Year celebrations when her eight-storey building shook from side to side, sending her belongings tumbling.

    Lauren Cullen, 21,who is studying in Japan on her year abroad at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, says: "I’d not long woken up when the whole building started shaking from side to side quite violently.

    “I got up and a few seconds later the alarm came through on everyone’s phones.

    “It was quick, think, what to do. I ran under the desk and got into the brace position.

    “It was a few minutes later when the tremors ended."

    She was told by the residence assistants to pack her bags ready to be evacuated but says luckily they did not need to leave.

    “After the first shock I got up and tried to pick up everything that had fallen. And not before long it started again. It was less strong but still strong enough to knock things over,” she says.

  8. Let's bring you up-to-datepublished at 13:05 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    It is just after 22:00 in Japan. Here is a recap of the latest news:

    • Yesterday's earthquake in Japan is now known to have killed 48 people
    • Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, warned that rescuers are facing a "race against time" to rescue survivors, some of whom may be buried under the rubble
    • Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by Monday's quake or by subsequent fires
    • There have been numerous aftershocks, including a 4.9 quake earlier today in Ishikawa
    • Most rail services, ferries and flights into the area worst affected - the Noto peninsula - have been suspended
    • In an incident unrelated to the earthquake, a Japan Airlines plane caught fire as it collided with a coastguard aircraft on its way to provide earthquake relief at Tokyo's Haneda airport. Five people onboard the coastguard plane are known to have died, but the Japan Airlines plane's 379 passengers and crew managed to escape
  9. In Pictures: Japan's devastationpublished at 12:44 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    A view of a damaged road following a strong earthquake in Kanazawa, Ishikawa PrefectureImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Damaged buildings and roads in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture

    A woman walks past goods strewn about in a damaged grocery store after a strong earthquake in Togi towImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    A woman walks past goods strewn about in a damaged grocery store after a strong earthquake in Togi tow

    A view of a collapsed road after a strong earthquake near Togi townImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    A view of a collapsed road after a strong earthquake near Togi town

  10. Meals being delivered by helicopter to cut off city - governorpublished at 12:30 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    The governor of the Ishikawa prefecture, in the central region of Japan's main island, says he is doing everything he can to rescue people and assess the extent of the damage.

    Writing on X, external, Hiroshi Hase says 36,000 meals are being delivered across the region, including by helicopter to the city of Wajima which has been cut off from land routes.

    Trucks will take food to other towns and cities, he says.

    He says he has spoken with the prime minister and chief cabinet secretary to request supplies and send additional personnel to the area.

  11. How common are earthquakes in Japan?published at 12:12 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    The short answer is: very.

    Japan is located in one of the most active earthquake zones on earth.

    The Philippine plate and the Pacific plate are moving towards the much bigger continental Eurasian and North American plates.

    The movement can be up to around 9cm each year.

    Earthquakes in Japan still have the power to cause widespread destruction, but the country has made strides in terms of designing its buildings to withstand quakes.

    When a massive quake hit Tokyo in 1923, it flattened huge swathes of the city.

    It led to the drawing up of Japan's first quake-resistant building code. From then on new buildings would need to be reinforced with steel and concrete. Wooden buildings would have thicker beams.

    Each time the country has been hit by a large quake, the damage has been studied and the regulations updated. The biggest leap took place in 1981 after which all new buildings required seismic isolation measures. Again, after the Kobe quake in 1995, more lessons were learned.

    It is now common for people to prioritise living in buildings built after 1981.

  12. Five people on board coastguard plane deadpublished at 11:52 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Five people who were onboard the coastguard plane that collided with a Japan Airlines passenger jet in Tokyo have died, AFP news agency quotes Japan's transport minister as saying.

    State broadcaster NKH has also reported five dead. The captain escaped but is severely injured, it adds.

    The coastguard plane was heading to join the earthquake rescue effort, Japan's coastguard said.

    You can follow our live page on the crash here.

  13. Watch: Toppled buildings, wrecked boats seen from air in Japanpublished at 11:24 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Media caption,

    Watch: Aerial footage reveals scale of Japan quake damage

    Collapsed buildings, smoking ruins and boats hanging from jetties are seen in aerial pictures taken near the epicentre of Monday's earthquake in Japan.

    Footage shows fire damage in the town of Wajima and the wrecked harbour in Suzu, both on the hard-hit Noto peninsula.

  14. In Pictures: Japan rescue efforts continuepublished at 10:53 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    A day after the earthquake struck Japan, rescue efforts are continuing:

    Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers and firefighters conduct rescue operations at a collapsed houseImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers and firefighters conduct rescue operations at a collapsed house

    The letters "SOS" are seen written on the ground by using chairs at Kanazawa UniversityImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The letters "SOS" are seen written on the ground by using chairs at Kanazawa University

    Firefighters inspect collapsed wooden houses in Wajima, Ishikawa prefectureImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Firefighters inspect collapsed wooden houses in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture

  15. Aircraft thought to have collided with Japan Airlines jet was on its way to earthquake areapublished at 10:30 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    We've just heard that the Japanese coastguard plane that is thought to have collided with a Japanese Airlines plane at Haneda Airport was heading to Niigata to join the rescue effort and transport goods, Japan’s coastguard has said.

    The aircraft had six passengers. One of them evacuated, but five people are unaccounted for.

    Follow our live page on the plane crash here.

    Japan Airlines' A350 airplane on fire at Haneda international airport in TokyoImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Japan Airlines says all 379 passengers and crew on board have been evacuated

  16. Watch: BBC visits earthquake peninsulapublished at 10:17 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    The BBC's Jean Mackenzie has visited the peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture where yesterday's quake hit to assess the damage.

    She tried to get as close as possible to the epicentre, despite significant damage cutting off routes in the region.

    As a reminder, the 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, killing at least 48 people.

  17. Have you been affected by the quake? You can share your storypublished at 09:54 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Get in touch bannerImage source, .

    Have you been personally affected by the earthquake?

    If it is safe to do so, you can get in touch with the BBC in the following ways:

    In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.

  18. Japan Airlines plane in flames at Tokyo airportpublished at 09:43 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    In what appears to be an incident unrelated to the earthquake, a Japan Airlines plane has caught fire as it landed on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday evening.

    Footage on broadcaster NHK shows flames coming out of the windows of the aircraft and beneath it.

    NHK, citing authorities, said the plane may have collided with another aircraft after landing at Haneda. There are passengers on board.

    We have started a live page to follow this developing story. You can find it here.

  19. Key developments as scale of destruction becomes clearpublished at 09:21 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    Firefighters investigate a partly burned and collapsed house in NanaoImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Firefighters investigate a partly burned and collapsed house in Nanao

    The devastation caused by an earthquake in central Japan is becoming clearer - let's bring you up to date with the latest developments.

    • The death toll has risen with officials confirming 48 people are now known to have died
    • Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by Monday's quake or by subsequent fires
    • There have been numerous aftershocks as emergency workers search for people feared to be trapped under rubble
    • Japanese PM Fumio Kishida has ordered army personnel to help with the relief effort, which is being hampered by extensive damage to roads
    • Kishida's chief cabinet secretary has warned people to "be alert" for more earthquakes in the coming week
    • The government says just over 57,000 people have been evacuated
    • Tens of thousands of households remain without power
  20. Where did the earthquake hit?published at 09:00 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

    A day on from yesterday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake, Japan is still experiencing tremors, with the latest being a 4.9 quake in Ishikawa.

    As a reminder, here is where yesterday's earthquake hit. It was the largest in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefercture since records began in 1885.

    Map of earthquake-affected locations in Japan, including Noto and Sado IslandImage source, .