Public broadcaster NHK said 35 were dead, with around five people still unaccounted for in the town. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will meet quake survivors in Hokkaido on Sunday, according to Jiji Press. All three million households in Hokkaido lost power when Thursday's quake damaged a thermal plant supplying electricity to the region, but Abe said power was mostly restored. Abe said the government would release emergency funds to deliver food, water and fuel needed for power generators at hospitals. Japan sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where many of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 08, 2018 09:33 UTC