Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world?s most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world?s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. Yesterday?s tremor follows a string of earthquakes in the same region, the first of which in mid-June killed at least 10 people and left as many again missing.

The damage was relatively minor yesterday?s quake because its focus was more than 100 km (62 miles) underground, a seismologist said. ?It was deep,? said Naoshi Hirata, a professor of geophysics, at Tokyo University.

?A shallow quake of magnitude 6.8 would cause a lot of damage, but a quake deep underground is the same as one that?s far away.?

Hundreds of people were initially trapped on overnight trains that were halted after the quake, but were later able to get out safely, rail operator JR East said. Service was set to resume on high-speed bullet trains, but many local trains were still not running 12 hours after the tremor.

Some stretches of expressway were briefly closed to traffic in the region, but they were later reopened, said a spokesman for the operators. Some smaller roads remained blocked by landslides.

With few strong aftershocks to hamper operations, the clean-up started almost immediately. Most schools in the region were open as usual and phone and electricity services were restored, providers said. ?There were no reports of deaths or people buried alive,? top government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told reporters. ?But the prime minister has ordered us to continue checking.?

DISASTER-PRONE

<B>Powerful aftershocks hit China quake area, 1 dead</B>

■ At least three powerful aftershocks hit southwest China?s quake area yesterday, killing one elderly person and injuring more than a dozen, the official Xinhua news agency said.

More than 69,000 people have been confirmed dead and some 18,000 are still listed as missing over two months fter a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit the mountainous province of Sichuan on May 12, the deadliest in the country since 1976. A 5.6-magnitude aftershock struck Qingchuan county in northeastern Sichuan early yesterday, killing a 60-year-old, Xinhua said.

At least four people were injured in the adjacent Ningqiang county in Shaanxi province, including a man who jumped from the second floor of a hotel and suffered fracture on his left arm, Xinhua added.

It was the first of two pre-dawn aftershock that caused landslides and cut off some roads, it said. ?Both were felt strongly and lasted fairly long,? said Xinhua. ?Mountains and houses shook vehemently.?

Another aftershock, measured 6.0 on the Richter scale, hit the same area at 3:09 p.m. local time and was felt in places as far as the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, Xinhua said.

Chinese officials have warned of an arduous reconstruction task, which includes housing millions of displaced and impoverished residents and rebuilding the local economy.

The torch relay for the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics, originally scheduled to take place in Sichuan in June, will go to the province from August 3-5.