Japan's northern island of Hokkaido has been hit by a commanding earthquake, triggering landslides that engulfed houses.
Two people had been killed and about 40 were missing, according to community broadcaster NHK.
The 6.7 magnitude quake cut power to around 3 million homes and shut down a nuclear plant in the area
The tremor struck 62km (39 miles) south-east of the regional capital Sapporo in the untimely hours of the morning.
It posed no tsunami risk, the country's meteorological agency said.
Local people and travellers in the region have shared their shock about the quake on social media.
They also write about long lines at food stores as people stock up on supplies amid fears of additional tremors.
Authorities hav warned of probable aftershocks and urged people to stay cautious.
"Large quakes often occur, particularly within two to three days (of a big one)," Toshiyuki Matsumori of the meteorological agency said according to news agency AFP.
"We urge residents to pay full attention to seismic activity and rainfall and not to go into unsafe areas."
Japan is one of the world's the majority seismically active nations and accounts for around 20% of quakes worldwide of magnitude 6.0 or more.
The country is still getting better after the strongest typhoon in 25 years hit the west of Japan, killing at least 10 people.
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