A magnitude 5.9 aftershock has jolted Japan, but there have been no reports of damage.
Hundreds of aftershocks have rocked the ground and frayed nerves in the five weeks since Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami, forcing survivors to relive the terror almost daily.
Many now complain of ‘earthquake sickness’ - the sensation that the ground is swaying beneath their feet even when it is not - a condition blamed on confused inner-ear balance receptors and a heightened state of anxiety.
‘We are almost getting used to the aftershocks, yet every time one of them strikes, we are reminded of the terror we felt the day of the tsunami,’ said Kenichi Endo, 45, who lost his fisherman father at sea to the monster wave.
‘I become afraid that maybe it will return,’ said Mr Endo, now one of 790 people holed up in an elementary school turned evacuation centre in the devastated port of Onagawa in Miyagi prefecture. ‘I have flashbacks.’
In Tokyo too, where buildings have been shaken and trains halted by quakes, millions are put on edge every time a shrill seismic early-alert tone sounds on TV or their mobile phones, warning of a fresh threat.
Meanwhile, Japan is considering issuing special bonds to fund reconstruction following last month's earthquake and tsunami, and imposing a new tax to repay the debt.
The new bonds would be used to finance the rebuilding of infrastructure, creating jobs and supporting local businesses, the Nikkei newspaper reported without citing sources.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's embattled government has already said it is eyeing an initial budget of more than four trillion yen ($48bn) to finance the first wave of reconstruction in Japan's devastated northeast.
Aftershock in New Zealand
Elsewhere, a strong 5.2-magnitude aftershock has rocked the quake-shattered New Zealand city of Christchurch and cut power to several areas, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
New Zealand's second largest city remains devastated following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February which claimed 181 lives, and followed a stronger, but less destructive 7.1 quake last September.
The latest tremor hit at 5:49pm (6.49am Irish time) and was centred 16km west of the city at a depth of 9km, the US Geological Survey said.
