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Quake Hits Ibaraki
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan early Sunday, with the Japan Meteorological Agency placing the hypocentre at a depth of 70 kilometers beneath southern Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo.
“At least 37 people were injured in five prefectures in the region — 15 in Tokyo, nine in Saitama, eight in Kanagawa, four in Chiba and one in Ibaraki”
The quake injured at least 37 people across five prefectures, including 15 in Tokyo, nine in Saitama, eight in Kanagawa, four in Chiba and one in Ibaraki, according to prefectural officials and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Officials said most injuries were light and occurred when people were caught off guard while sleeping and got out of bed in a panic, falling or hitting themselves against furniture or doors.
The Associated Press reported that a woman in her 80s fell off the bed and suffered a serious hip injury in Yokohama, and it also cited a 23-year-old man who said he felt a vertical jolt seconds after his earthquake alert went off while shopping in Tokyo’s eastern district of Taito.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami, and the U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 5.8.
Alerts, Trains, Power
The temblor set off emergency quake alerts on mobile phones and significantly shook Tokyo, while NHK public television showed traffic on roads in nearby cities including Mito and Saitama as seemingly normal.
In Tokyo’s Koto Ward, an underground water pipe ruptured with water pouring onto the road, and the pipe was repaired with the leak stopped, according to NHK footage.
Train services were disrupted as delays hit express trains serving Tokyo and Narita Airport and other local trains serving northeastern regions, while Shinkansen bullet trains were running normally, their operator East Japan Raiway Co. said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X that the government set up a task force to assess the extent of possible damage, and the Japan Meteorological Agency urged residents to use caution against another possible moderate earthquake for about a week.
Japan Wire by Kyodo News said the quake registered lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of the prefecture and central Tokyo, and it reported that some train services were delayed while some trains ran at reduced speeds.
Aftershocks and Risks
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of aftershocks in the coming days and an increased risk of landslides in affected areas, as Al-Jazeera Net described the quake leaving dozens injured.
“The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of aftershocks in the coming days and an increased risk of landslides in affected areas”
Al-Jazeera Net also said the Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed there is no tsunami risk and that the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the magnitude at 5.8, while emergency warnings and advisories were triggered.
In parallel, ABC News reported that the government set up a task force to assess the extent of possible damage, quoting Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on X.
ABC News added that about 460 homes in Tokyo had power outages, citing TEPCO Power Grid, while it also said there were no reports of anything out of the ordinary from about a dozen nuclear power plants and other facilities that handle nuclear materials.
The broader context in the reporting included a last-month comparison, with AP News noting that a magnitude 7.1 quake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan’s southernmost island of Kyushu, killing 38 people and injuring 364.