Tokyo - More than 590,000 people Monday participated in earthquake drills across Japan on a national quake preparedness day.

Heads of government ministries and agencies gathered at the prime minister's office early Monday to discuss emergency measures and responses on assumption that a mock magnitude-8.6 earthquake hit western Japan.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told citizens to "respond calmly to this major disaster and cooperate to expedite rescuing people and put out the fires."

Led by Fukuda, a government investigation team was to visit Kishiwada city in Osaka prefecture later in the day to observe a joint earthquake drill involving nine municipalities from western and central Japan.

In the drill, Japan's military, local police and firefighters were expected to conduct a series of emergency responses including rescuing victims from a derailed train and collapsed buildings.

In central Shizuoka province, more than 440,000 people participated in disaster preparedness exercises where people rescued victims from underneath rubble and made emergency escapes from department stores and high-rise buildings.

In the northern province Miyagi, the drills involved elementary and junior high school students, while local women's clubs organized an open kitchen to distribute 5,000 rice balls.

The region was hit by a magnitude-7.2 earthquake on June 14, which killed at least 13 and left 10 people missing.

Japan conducts annual nationwide earthquake drills on September 1 to commemorate the Greath Kanto Earthquake which hit Tokyo in 1923 and killed more than 140,000 people in the capital and the surrounding region.

Being one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, Japanese experts believe Japan is likely to be hit by another major earthquake within the next 50 years, with the potential to kill thousands.