Hour by hour, chances dwindle that rescue workers will be able to save those who may be trapped in the ruins of the catastrophic quake that struck on Saturday. Noisy generators add to the challenge.
Just over 24 hours after strong earthquakes hit the Kumamoto area, an even bigger temblor of magnitude 7.0 struck the same area. Thursday's quakes killed at least nine people.
When the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit Japan in 2011, U.S. troops delivered aid in Operation Tomodachi, Japanese for "friends." Another Tomodachi program brings Japanese kids to the U.S.
Dozens of people are still missing — but some survivors were still being pulled from rubble some 60 hours after the quake. Nearly all of the 38 reported deaths occurred in one building.
More than 170 people have been saved from a collapsed high-rise building, and rescuers believe more survivors are trapped inside. At least 26 people are confirmed dead after Saturday's earthquake.
Before it does damage, an earthquake sends out a "P wave" that scientists use to find location and size. The U.S. quake warning system under development on the West Coast is built around the P wave.
Tension is building along a major fault in the seabed off Alaska's coast, research shows. Devastating tsunamis from sudden slips in certain sections could directly hit Hawaii and Central California.