Rescue efforts in southwestern Japan after an earthquake earlier this week are continuing, but hopes for finding survivors are fading as officials report the death toll has risen to at least 23. Both outlets cite the Kumamoto prefectural government, which says the quake has killed at least 23 people in the affected area. While exact details of injuries and damage are not provided in the excerpts, the reporting indicates that search and recovery operations remain underway and that officials are treating the situation as a major disaster with fatalities increasing over time. The articles present a consistent picture: the earthquake struck earlier in the week, casualties have now reached the 23 mark, and rescue activity is focused on locating survivors and recovering bodies. No additional claims from other authorities are included in the provided text, and the information is framed around the prefecture’s updated casualty figures.