Two powerful aftershocks have hit the west coast of central Japan.
An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale in the same area yesterday killed one person and injured nearly 200.
Yesterday morning's 6.9 magnitude quake, which struck the Noto peninsula, about 300km west of Tokyo, destroyed houses, buckled roads, triggered landslides and cut off water and electricity supplies to thousands of homes.
A 5.3 magnitude tremor, one of more than 175 aftershocks, struck early today, and a 4.8 magnitude quake jolted the area in mid-afternoon, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.
Officials have warned that more could occur.
About 2,600 people spent the night in evacuation shelters and many other residents slept in their cars.
Earthquake hits southeastern Iran
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook the southeastern Iranian city of Bam but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The quake occurred this morning at about 6.30am Irish time.
In 2003, Bam was hit by a major earthquake which killed 31,000 people.
