A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 rattled eastern Japan, including the Tokyo area, early Sunday, injuring at least five people, officials said. No tsunami danger followed the quake.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake occurred in southern Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of 70 kilometres. The region is prone to frequent earthquakes. The United States Geological Survey recorded the preliminary magnitude of the quake at 5.8.
23 people injured in four prefectures
Twenty-three people were injured across four prefectures in the region, according to prefectural officials. Nine people were injured in Saitama, another nine in Kanagawa, four in Chiba and one in Ibaraki. Most of those injured fell down or hit themselves against furniture or doors after being caught off guard by the earthquake while sleeping. Officials said some people got out of bed in panic following the tremors.
Among those injured was a woman in her 80s who fell from her bed and suffered a serious hip injury in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
Earthquake shakes Tokyo, triggers alerts
The earthquake significantly shook Tokyo and triggered emergency earthquake alerts on mobile phones. NHK public television showed traffic on roads in nearby cities, including Mito and Saitama, appearing to be normal after the tremors. The government set up a task force to assess the extent of possible damage following the earthquake, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X.
Train services affected
The earthquake caused delays to express trains serving Tokyo and Narita Airport, along with other local trains serving northeastern regions. However, Shinkansen bullet trains were running normally, according to East Japan Railway Company.
The disruption affected several train services in the region as authorities continued to assess the impact of the earthquake.
Water pipe ruptures, power cuts reported
An underground water pipe ruptured in Tokyo’s eastern Koto ward, with water pouring onto the road, NHK footage showed. The pipe was later repaired, and the leak was stopped. The earthquake also caused blackouts affecting about 460 homes in Tokyo. TEPCO Power Grid said power was restored by later Sunday morning.
There were no reports of anomalies at about a dozen nuclear power plants and other facilities handling nuclear materials, according to the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
Japan continues to assess earthquake impact
The latest earthquake struck an area of Japan prone to frequent earthquakes. Authorities continued to assess the extent of injuries and damage following the tremors. Last month, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan’s southernmost island of Kyushu. The quake killed 38 people and injured 364 others.
It also destroyed more than 1,500 buildings and damaged nearly 20,000 others.
(With inputs from AP)
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