Rescuers are searching the rubble of the Aeon Mall in Kashima town and the Nippon Paper factory in Yatsushiro, in what Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described as a "race against time"
A day after the earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture, survivors are sifting through debris and furniture in their damaged homes
One survivor, a 75-year-old restaurant owner, tells the BBC that yesterday's earthquake was the strongest he had experienced and that he thought he would di
The earthquake struck Tuesday afternoon with a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The US Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.8
The Aeon mall that partially collapsed after the earthquake had reopened on 13 June as a revamped shopping complex.
It was first opened in 2005, but temporarily closed in 2016 after it was damaged during deadly earthquakes, which killed nearly 300 people in the region.
The June reopening of the Aeon mall in Kumamoto was meant to mark its 21st anniversary - as well as 10 years since reconstruction efforts after the quakes.
The sprawling shopping complex houses around 200 stores and some 5,000 parking spaces.
Aeon shopping malls are common across Japan, with around 200 of them nationwide, according to the company website.
The Kumamoto branch, where two people have died, contains a range of fashion stores, a cinema, a bookshop and food court.Stretching across two floors, it sits just north of the Midorikawa river in the city's south east.
Hiroko Ogata, 75, runs a popular omelet rice restaurant in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture.
She was in the restaurant, which had closed for the day, when the earthquake hit.
"All of sudden there was a big jolt, and I was surprised and scared," she tells the BBC.
"I have lived here for 75 years, but I have never experienced such a big quake. I thought I would die."
"I went under one of the tables right away, but the table moved largely towards right, left, right, left… with me!"
Bowls and glasses from the kitchen shelf started falling and shattering on the floor, she added.
Today she's picking up the pieces at her restaurant - though continuing aftershocks are making her nervous.
"The whole place is messy, and I don’t know where to stand. But we have to earn our living by restarting our restaurant as soon as possible, so I am cleaning the place today," she says.
"A little I work, then we have another aftershock… so it is going so slowly. If we keep having this many aftershocks It will be very stressful."