A woman in her 90s trapped for five days under rubble caused by a huge earthquake in central Japan was rescued Saturday as the death toll from the disaster rose to 128.

The hope of finding survivors usually fades three days after a destructive quake, but an elderly woman spent five days under the wreckage of a collapsed house in the city of Suzu on the hard-hit Noto Peninsula before being saved.

She was taken to hospital and was able to hold a conversation, according to public broadcaster NHK.

"Hang in there!" rescuers were heard calling to the woman in police footage from the rainy scene published by local media.

"You're gonna be OK!" they shouted. "Stay positive!"

A Tokyo police spokesperson confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the rescue had been carried out by officers from Tokyo and Fukuoka, but could not give further details.

At least 128 people died in the magnitude-7.5 tremor on New Year's Day and its aftershocks — a toll that is sure to rise, with 195 others reported missing, according to local authorities.

The shockwaves toppled buildings, sparked a major fire and triggered tsunami waves over a metre high on the Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu.

On Sunday, cold rain, sleet and snow made the recovery efforts of thousands of police, troops and other rescuers even more challenging.

The bad weather could also worsen conditions for more than 30,000 people in 366 government shelters as of Saturday.

Many communities on the remote peninsula have been cut off by damaged roads, with some of an estimated 1,000 landslides also blocking aid vehicles.

That means relief materials have been slow to reach areas suffering water and power outages.

Around 20,000 households in the wider Ishikawa region remained without electricity on Sunday. More than 66,400 households were without water as of Saturday.