Nearly a million homes suffered blackouts in Japan’s north east today after a strong aftershock that killed two people and piled more misery on a region buried under the rubble of last month’s devastating tsunami.

Japan has declared a state of emergency at a nuclear power plant when its cooling system failed after the massive earthquake struck.

One of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded has triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific ocean.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Japan’s north-eastern coast today, shaking buildings hundreds of miles away in Tokyo and triggering a small tsunami.

Hundreds of thousands of homes were without power in central and western Japan today after a record snowfall that also forced the suspension of train services and closed an international airport.