A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake has knocked over walls and set off scattered fires around metropolitan Osaka in western Japan, killing at least three people and injuring more than 200 people.
The Osaka prefectural government's disaster management department says two people - an elderly man and a nine-year-old girl - were found dead, while a Ibaraki city official confirmed a third victim, aged 84.
Public broadcaster NHK reported more than 200 people were injured in Osaka and nearby prefectures of Hyogo and Kyoto.
The nine-year-old girl died when she was knocked down by a concrete wall at her school, while a man in his 80s died when a concrete wall collapsed in Osaka city. An 84-year-old man in nearby Ibaraki died when a bookshelf fell on him at home, city officials say.
The quake struck shortly after 8am (local time) on Monday north of Osaka at a depth of about 13 kilometres, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The strongest shaking was north of Osaka, but the quake rattled large parts of western Japan, including Kyoto, the agency said.
The quake knocked over walls, broke windows and set off scattered building fires. It scattered goods on shop floors and cracked roads and broke water pipes, leaving homes without water.
The morning commute was disrupted, as dozens of domestic flights in and out of Osaka were grounded, while train and subway service in the Osaka area including the bullet train were suspended to check for damage. Passengers were seen exiting trains on the tracks between stations.
