An emergency shelter providing information and assistance to non-Japanese residents remains open at the Kumamoto City International Center the morning after a second major earthquake rocked Kyushu on the early morning of April 16, the Kumamoto International Foundation said.

The foundation is also providing information to foreign residents and visitors in English and Chinese by email at pj-info@kumamoto-if.or.jp and by phone at 096-359-2121.

The shelter opened at 11:50 p.m. on April 14, and according to the foundation some 50-53 people had used it as of 1:00 p.m. on April 16, including 15 from China and 12 from Bangladesh. The shelter has also received many telephone inquiries since the morning of April 15, including on the status of train operations and water outages.

The Kumamoto Prefecture Tourism Federation, which can be reached by phone at 096-382-2660, is also responding to inquiries in English and Chinese.

The Kumamoto International Foundation's website can be accessed at http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/