TOKYO: A strong magnitude of 7.3 earthquake strikethrough Japanthis coast on Saturday night, shaking the region hit by the powerful earthquake, tsunami and nuclear collapse of 2011, just weeks before the 10th anniversary of the disaster.
The earthquake shook parts of Japan’s east coast and was felt strongly in Tokyo, but did not trigger a tsunami warning.
The Kyodo news agency reported that at least 30 people were injured, but gave no further details.
There were no immediate reports of significant damage, although local news broadcast images of a landslide on a highway.
Japan’s meteorological agency said the earthquake struck at 11:08 p.m. (1408 GMT) at a depth of 60 kilometers (37 miles) in the Pacific off Fukushima – near the epicenter of the deadly 2011 earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami and killed more than 18,000 people.
The agency initially reported the strength of the earthquake as 7.1, but later revised the figure up. He said the earthquake was considered an aftershock of the massive earthquake of 2011.
Aftershocks continued to shake the region in the hours afterward and officials warned local residents to be vigilant. A handful of people were reported to have sought refuge in evacuation centers.
“We are working quickly to gather information, but we do not have any details to announce yet. There were some unconfirmed reports of landslides, but we are still reviewing,” Mikihiro Meguro, a Fukushima prefectural government official, told AFP.
Around 950,000 homes were without power across the affected region, but no anomalies were reported at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which melted after the 2011 tsunami.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was called into his office and broadcaster NHK said the government would establish a special liaison office to coordinate with the affected regions.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato addressed reporters after midnight and said evaluations were underway.
“In terms of damage, casualties and structural damage are being assessed,” he said, adding that sections of the bullet train had been suspended due to power outages.
“Surveys are being conducted at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant,” he said.
“We have received reports that the Onagawa nuclear plant and the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant show no anomalies,” he added.
Images posted online showed broken glass in a store and items dropped from supermarket shelves.
Renowned author Yu Miri, who lives in the Minamisoma city of Fukushima, tweeted a photo of her home, showing books, potted plants, and other belongings strewn across the floor.
“My house in Odaka, the city of Minamisoma, is a mess,” he wrote.
“I hear the noise of the ground. And another shaking,” he tweeted about a reply.
Aerial images broadcast by NHK showed a hillside collapsing onto a highway in the Fukushima region, cutting off the road. It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured.
The United States Geological Survey recorded the earthquake at a revised magnitude of 7.1 with a depth of 51 kilometers.
Japan is in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that spans Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim.
The country is regularly hit by earthquakes and has strict building regulations aimed at ensuring that buildings can withstand strong tremors.
In September 2018, a powerful 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck Hokkaido, triggering landslides, collapsing houses and killing more than 40.
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