Prime Minister Fumio Kishida late on Monday night ordered Japanese ministries to gather information on the strong earthquake that shook the country's central area and to send goods needed by residents in the region, Paralel.Az reports citing Nikkei Asia.

Local authorities in the wee hours of Tuesday said that four people were confirmed dead.

"It is difficult to collect information as [the earthquake] came just before the sunset," Kishida told reporters.

The prime minister said that he heard about the situation directly from the mayors of Wajima and Suzu, cities that are in Ishikawa prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast and near the quake's epicenter.

Sending Japan's Self-Defense Forces and other responders is "extremely difficult due to damage to roads," Kishida said. But the prime minister emphasized that he ordered responders to reach the site as soon as possible.