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NAGAOKA, Japan (AP) — Yet another strong earthquake hit northern Japan on Wednesday, hours after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi traveled to the area to inspect collapsed homes and speak to survivors of a series of weekend temblors.

The death toll rose to 31 as elderly victims died from the effects of the weekend quake, the deadliest to hit the island nation in nearly a decade.

Aftershocks had rumbled across largely rural Niigata prefecture, about 160 miles northwest of Tokyo, where a magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck Saturday evening, buckling roads and unleashing landslides.

The magnitude-6.0 temblor that hit the area on Wednesday caused no injuries or damage, according to first reports.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered at a depth of six miles in Hirokami, also about 150 miles northwest of Tokyo. The agency said there was no danger of tsunami (tidal) waves.

The quake was so strong that people in temporary shelters had difficulty standing, national broadcaster NHK reported. Buildings swayed in the Japanese capital.