Second deadly earthquake hits Japan; auto, electronics factories affected

At least 25 killed in latest shock, over a thousand injured; no damage to nuclear power plants reported

Japanese rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings and mud on Saturday to reach people trapped after a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck a southern island, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than a thousand.

The shallow earthquake hit in the early hours of Saturday, sending people fleeing from their beds and onto dark streets, and follows a 6.4 magnitude quake on Thursday that killed nine people in the area.

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"I felt strong shaking at first, then I was thrown about like I was in a washing machine," said a Tokai University student who remains isolated in the village of Minamiaso in Kumamoto province on the island of Kyushu.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the speed of rescue efforts was critical given that wet weather is forecast overnight, which could further damage weakened buildings and cause landslides. "Nothing is more important than human life and it's a race against time. I want rescue activities to continue with the utmost effort," Abe said at a government meeting after the disaster.

The epicentre of the quake was near the city of Kumamoto and measured at a shallow depth of 10 kms, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Television footage showed fires, power outages, collapsed bridges and gaping holes in the earth. Residents near a dam were told to leave because of fears it might crumble, broadcaster NHK said.

The city's 400-year-old Kumamoto Castle was badly damaged, with its walls breached after having withstood bombardment and fire in its four centuries of existence.

The quake triggered a tsunami advisory that was later lifted and no irregularities were reported at three nuclear power plants in the area, a senior government official said.

Electronics giant Sony said a factory in Kumamoto, which is in the southern island of Kyushu, producing image sensors for smartphone makers will remain closed while it assesses the damage from the quakes. One of its major customers is Apple, which uses the sensors in iPhones. The PlayStation maker said operations at its image sensor plant in Nagasaki, also in Kyushu, will be partially suspended and it does not yet have a timeline for full resumption of operations. Sony controls about 40 per cent of the market for complementary metal-oxide semiconductor image sensors, a type of integrated circuit that converts light into electrical signals.

Toyota Motor halted production at three plants producing vehicles, engines and trans axles in Fukuoka. Toyota said there was no damage at its plants, but it was checking the status of its suppliers. It will decide on Sunday whether to resume production.

The region's transport network suffered considerable damage with one tunnel caved in, a highway bridge damaged, roads blocked by landslips and train services halted, Japanese media reported. Kumamoto airport was also closed.

There have been more than 230 aftershocks of at least level 1 on the Japanese scale since Thursday's shock, said Japan's meteorological agency.

"We have already seen of several of the mid to upper 5-plus magnitude range, and over the next several days and weeks, we would not be surprised to see more earthquakes of this size," said John Bellini, a geophysicist with the USGS.

Japan is on the seismically active "ring of fire" around the Pacific Ocean and has building codes aimed at helping structures withstand earthquakes.

A magnitude 9 quake in March 2011 north of Tokyo touched off a massive tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima. Nearly 20,000 people were killed in the tsunami The 2011 quake temporarily crippled part of Japan's auto supply chain in particular, but some companies have since adjusted the industry's "Just in Time" production philosophy in a bid to limit any repeat of the disruption.

Companies hit by the quake

• Sony halts production of image sensors at its plant in Kumamoto.
   
• Honda Motor halts production at its motorcycle plant in Kumamoto with an annual production capacity of 250,000.
   
• Toyota Motor halts production at three plants producing vehicles, engines and transaxles in Fukuoka.
   
• Nissan Motor halts production at its Fukuoka plant which produces vehicles including the Serena, Teana, Murano and Note.
   
• Renesas Electronics closes its plant in Kumamoto, which produces microcontroller chips for automobiles. It will not resume production until damage is assessed.
   
• Mitsubishi Electric halts production of its two plants in Kumamoto that produce parts including liquid crystal display modules.
   
• Tokyo Electron halts production of semiconductors its Kumamoto plant .
   
• Bridgestone halts production at its Kumamoto plant.