Japan earthquake news LIVE: Panic buying sees shelves stripped of goods amid warnings more strong quakes are set to hit the country

The massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan yesterday may have shifted the land near the epicentre up to 1.3 metres to the west, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority reportedly recorded an observation point in Wajima City in the worst-hit Ishikawa Prefecture to have moved 1.3 metres to the west.

It also said there was a westward shift about 1 meter in Anamizu Town and 80 centimeters in Suzu City. An observation point in Nanao City’s Notojima moved 60 centimeters northwest toward the Sea of Japan coast.

Land appears to have shifted about 20 centimeters to the northwest in the prefectures of Toyama and Niigata. Several centimeters of land shifts were also observed in the Kanto-Koshin region and elsewhere.

Japanese rescuers are battling the clock and powerful aftershocks today to find survivors after more than 150 earthquakes – ranging from magnitude 3.0 to 7.6 – caused wide-ranging destruction.

A major search and rescue operation continued into Tuesday, with Japan’s Prime Minister saying that rescue efforts had been made ‘extremely difficult due to damage to roads’ in the Ishikawa prefecture, near the epicentre of the quake.

But fears are growing that time is running out to find survivors trapped beneath the surface. The main highway through the district was completely closed, according to reports.

Water, power and phone service remains down across Ishikawa and beyond, and residents expressed sorrow about their destroyed homes and uncertain futures.

Around 2,500 emergency responders scrambled from big cities to help the search operation in the impacted coastal area, Nikkei Asia reported, as regional Governor Hiroshi Hasthat declared the first 24 hours is crucial to save as many people as possible.

Rescuers inspecting buildings and putting out fires in Wajima City in the Ishikawa prefecture can be seen below.

Footage from the devastating earthquakes in Japan show the pavements seemingly coming alive as they are raised and cracked.

Many roads were left unusable after the quakes, cutting off several villages waiting for help.

More than 150 earthquakes hit Japan over the last 24 hours and officials warn more could be coming.

The Australian Prime Minister shered his support for the people of Japan in a post on social media.

Hundreds of residents of the earthquake-hit Japanese town of Shika have stood in a queue to get rations of drinking water.

The line snaked out the door and around the town hall building, past paving stones jutting out of the ground that were forced upwards by the powerful series of tremors on New Year’s Day.

Taps ran dry in many homes as dozens of aftershocks rocked Shika and other towns in the central Ishikawa region following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake.

Resident Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, had just given his grandchildren a traditional New Year’s Day gift of pocket money and was taking a nap when he was rattled awake by the quake.

‘I was just helpless,’ he said. ‘All I could do at the time was pray that it would end soon.’

Now, ‘the problem is water’.

An aerial image shows an area of houses completely destroyed by the earthquake that has so far taken 48 lives.

Tens of thousands of houses and buildings have been turned to rubble and left terrified survivors to brave sub-zero temperatures on the streets.

Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, said the Prime Minister urged the government to ‘put lives first’ and to ‘understand the situation’ of the devastation caused by the earthquake.

He said: ‘To the people of Japan, please be on alert that there may be earthquakes for about a week of an intensity scale of up to seven.

‘To the people that live in areas where the shake was strong, please look out for evacuation information through local offices, on TV, radio, and internet and take action accordingly.’

Hayashi said there are 120 ‘cases of people’ who are waiting to be rescued and then adding ‘a total of 57,360 people have evacuated’.

Harrowing footage shows boats capsized and sinking in Suzu city after an earthquake rocked Japan on New Year’s Day.

The water can be seen littered with broken boat parts as other capsized boats are visible on the ground.

At least 48 people have died following the devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake that that happened yesterday.

At least 48 people have died following the devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan’s main island of Honshu yesterday.

Tens of thousands of houses and buildings have been turned to rubble and left terrified survivors to brave sub-zero temperatures on the streets, unable to return to their homes.

Dozens of people are still missing and unaccounted for amid the New Year’s disaster, with the death toll expected to rise sharply as rescuers begin to recover victims buried beneath the debris.

Read the fully story at MailOnline:

As daylight broke across Japan this morning the full destruction of the deadly 7.6 magnitude earthquake was laid bare showing collapsed homes, toppled temples and huge cracks in the middle of roads.

White smoke continued to rise from the charred remains of buildings, as the country woke to the horrific aftermath after being hit with 150 quakes in less than 24 hours.

One building, believed to be a seven-storey block, was seen lying on its side while a temple in Suzu City is said to have been completely destroyed. In popular tourist site Wajima City, in the Ishikawa Prefecture at least 100 buildings have been destroyed.

Shocking images emerging from the country show houses flattened to the ground, with abandoned cars being engulfed into huge crevices in the road.

We have just received the sad news that the death toll after the Japan quakes has reached 48.

This comes as Japanese rescuers are battling the clock and powerful aftershocks today to find survivors after more than 150 earthquakes – ranging from magnitude 3.0 to 7.6 – caused wide-ranging destruction.

The 7.6 magnitude quake that rattled Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu triggered tsunami waves more than a metre high, toppled houses, caused a major fire and tore apart roads.

Local authorities put the death toll at 48, but the number was expected to rise as rescuers comb through the rubble.

‘Very extensive damage has been confirmed, including numerous casualties, building collapses and fires,’ Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (pictured below) said after a disaster response meeting.

‘We have to race against time to search for and rescue victims of the disaster.’

If you are just joining us now, here is a recap of what we know so far:

• At least 48 people have died, but the death toll is expected to climb
• Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed and several towns were cut off due to damaged roads and landslides
• More than 150 earthquakes hit Japan in less than 24 hours and more are expected today
• Rescuers are battling the clock to find survivors buried alive under collapsed houses

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s live blog.

We will bring you the latest developments in Japan as rescuers scramble to find survivors after more than 150 quakes hit the country in less than 24 hours.