Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Strikes Central Japan, Injuring at Least 22
The quake struck western Shizuoka Prefecture at 1:04 a.m., shaking a wide area of central Japan and disrupting bullet train service. No tsunami warning was issued, and officials said a link to a feared Nankai Trough megaquake was unlikely.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring at least 22 people and breaking store windows across a wide area of Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures, according to local media and the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The quake hit at 1:04 a.m. local time, centered in western Shizuoka Prefecture at a depth of about 40 kilometers. The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 5.5. The strongest shaking, upper 5 on Japan’s seven-level seismic intensity scale, was recorded in Chita, in neighboring Aichi Prefecture. Lower 5 shaking was recorded in parts of Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu and Nagano prefectures.
Television footage showed shattered store windows, glass scattered on streets and books thrown from shelves in a bookstore. Many of the injuries came as people fell while trying to flee buildings, local media reported. In Tokoname, a woman in her 50s was taken to a hospital with a broken ankle. In Toyota, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 80s fell and hit their heads; both were conscious when taken to a hospital.
Trains slowed, no tsunami warning
No tsunami warning was issued. No problems were found at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka, its operator, Chubu Electric Power Co., said. The plant sits near the projected source area of a possible Nankai Trough megaquake.
Some local train services were suspended, and Tokaido Shinkansen bullet trains were delayed between Shizuoka and Gifu-Hashima stations while operators carried out safety checks. The central government set up a liaison office to coordinate the response.
Agency warns of more strong shaking
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned residents to brace for possible strong quakes over the coming week, with the risk highest over the next two to three days. “Please be on the lookout for mudslides, falling rocks and the possible effects from rainfall,” agency official Ayataka Ebita told reporters.
The agency said the chance that Sunday’s quake was linked to a Nankai Trough megaquake was low, and that no apparent change had been detected so far to the Nankai Trough plate, where scientists say a large quake could one day strike.
Reporting based on coverage by The Hindu BusinessLine and Kyodo News via Qazinform.
