A magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Japan's southwestern Kumamoto prefecture last week has killed at least 38 people, including one death attributed to heatstroke suffered by a survivor sheltering in a car. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited the disaster zone on Monday, touring evacuation centres and pledging government action, while directing ministers to restore water supplies to the more than 46,000 households still without running water by the end of the month. Recovery efforts are being severely complicated by extreme heat — temperatures reached 40°C in parts of southern Japan — with thousands of displaced residents crowded into emergency shelters, many lacking air conditioning, raising urgent fears of further heat-related deaths.