Police officers conduct a search operation in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan on Jan 9, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

TOKYO - The death toll has risen to 202 in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa as of 2 pm local time on Tuesday after a series of earthquakes of up to 7.6 magnitude struck the prefecture and its vicinity last week, public broadcaster NHK reported.

READ MORE: Japan quake damage at nuke plant worse than initially disclosed

The 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake is the first to kill more than 100 people in Japan since the 2016 Kumamoto quakes in the country's southwestern region, which claimed 276 lives.