Over 200 people have been confirmed dead from the devastating earthquake that rocked Japan.

The 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Japan's main island, Honshu's Noto Peninsula, wrecked and overturned buildings, ignited fires, and knocked down infrastructure just as families celebrated New Year's Day.

Eight days later, dozens of rescuers were battling blocked roads and bad weather to clear the wreckage and reach the over 3,500 people who remained trapped in isolated communities.

 Ishikawa regional authorities announced that 202 individuals had been confirmed dead, up from 180 earlier in the day, and 102 had gone missing, down from 120.

PHOTO | COURTESY rescue workers

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Authorities more than tripled the number of missing to 323 on Monday when central databases were updated, with the majority of the increase attributed to the severely damaged Wajima.

However, "many families have let us know that they were able to confirm the safety of the persons (on the list) since then," Ishikawa official Hayato Yachi told AFP.

With heavy snow in certain areas hindering relief operations, about 30,000 people were residing in 400 government shelters as of Monday, some of which were overcrowded and straining to provide appropriate food, water, and warmth.

PHOTO | COURTESY earthquake aftermath

Almost 60,000 houses were without running water, and 15,600 were without electricity.

Days of rain have exacerbated road conditions, contributing to an estimated 1,000 landslides.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida directed ministers to "make efforts of resolving the state of isolation (of communities) and continue tenacious rescue activities" at a daily disaster-relief cabinet meeting.

Kishida also advised secondary evacuations to areas outside the quake zone, said top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Hundreds of earthquakes strike Japan every year, albeit the vast majority inflict no damage due to tight building rules in place for more than four decades.

However, many structures are older, particularly in increasingly aging rural villages like Noto.

The country is scarred by the 2011 monster quake, which created a tsunami, killed or went missing approximately 18,500 people, and caused a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant.