Multilingual consultation services have been made available for foreign residents affected by the earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day.

In-person consultations in more than 30 languages are being offered at the Ishikawa Prefectural International center until 4 p.m. on Thursday. Online services are also available.

The Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau says there were more than 18,000 foreign residents in Ishikawa Prefecture as of the end of June last year. Many of them had been working in the fishing and livestock industries.

The cities of Wajima and Suzu on the heaviest-hit Noto Peninsula had 222 and 104 foreigners, respectively.

A number of them lost their jobs because their workplaces were damaged, or they were unable to continue their technical training.

Japan's Immigration Services Agency has drawn up measures to help such foreigners. These include enabling them to extend their residence status until the end of June without the required procedures.

An official at the Nagoya bureau, Ueda Toshihiro, said they hope to offer advice over the phone and by other means, because foreigners at some evacuation shelters may not have access to the information they need.