A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit southe Japan early Saturday moing prompting a tsunami advisory for the area, marking the second earthquake to hit the region since Thursday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has downplayed the tsunami threat. The administration said it does not expect a tsunami and there is no threat to Hawaii.
Japanese broadcaster NHK said a number of calls were coming in from residents reporting people being trapped inside houses and buildings.
Sirens of patrol vehicles were heard on the background as NHK reported from the hardest-hit town of Mashiki. The asphalt ground outside the town hall had a new crack, apparently made by the latest earthquake.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at the Sendai nuclear plant, where the only two of Japan's 43 operable reactors are online. NHK video showed that stones tumbled from the walls of historic Kumamoto Castle, and a wooden structure in the complex was smashing, adding to damage Thursday at the site.
At the Ark Hotel, east of the castle, hotel guests woke up to strong shaking and a waing siren. Hotel staff asked guests, including tourists and joualists covering the quake, to evacuate their rooms and gather in the lobby for safety.
Rescuers Friday were still combing through debris on the island of Kyushu, which is southwest of Tokyo after Thursday’s earthquake that left nine dead and around 800 injured.
The quake shook the Kumamoto region at 1:25 a.m. local time.
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued an advisory for a tsunami up to 3 feet along the coast east of the epicenter in Kumamoto.
The Associated Press contributed to this report