Tokyo and the eastern Kanto region were shaken at 2 a.m. Sunday by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake centered in southern Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of 70 kilometers. There was no threat of a tsunami.
Shaking was recorded at an intensity of lower 5 on Japan’s seven-point shindo seismic scale in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward as well as in Ibaraki, Saitama and Chiba prefectures. Level 4 shaking was recorded in other areas of Tokyo as well as Tochigi, Gunma and Kanagawa prefectures.
Lower 5 can cause objects to fall off shelves and prompt people to grab onto things due to severe shaking, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Shaking, lasting up to a minute in some areas, was felt shortly after earthquake early warning alarms sounded on mobile phones.
According to NHK, Level 2 long-period ground motion was observed in the city of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture, the city of Urayasu in Chiba Prefecture, as well as in Tokyo’s Koto and Edogawa wards. Long-period ground motion refers to slow, prolonged shaking that can cause high-rise buildings to sway significantly. At Level 2, people may have difficulty standing, and furniture or other objects may move or fall.
Authorities in the affected areas were working to confirm whether the quake had caused injuries or damage, with the city of Kawasaki reporting two injuries as of 3 a.m., according to NHK.
A water pipe had ruptured in the Kiyosumi area of Tokyo’s Koto Ward, but it is not yet known if this was caused by the earthquake, news reports said.
JR East was in the process of checking whether the quake had caused any damage and will decide whether first trains can operate as usual by 4:30 a.m., NHK reported.
In the village of Tokai in Ibaraki Prefecture, home to Japan Atomic Power Company’s Tokai and Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plants, shaking was recorded at an intensity of 3 on the shindo scale. The Japan Atomic Power Company said no abnormalities had been found at the Tokai No. 2 plant following the earthquake, and that checks were ongoing at its Tokai nuclear plant. The Tokai plant is currently being decommissioned, while the Tokai No. 2 plant has been offline for an extended period.
Within an hour of the quake, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wrote on X that efforts to confirm the extent of earthquake impacts were ongoing and that a liaison office had been established following the quake at the Prime Minister’s Office Crisis Management Center. She added that she had issued instructions to establish the extent of any damage and to provide timely and accurate information to the public.
“To those in the areas where the shaking was strong, I ask that you continue to remain vigilant for the possibility of another earthquake of similar magnitude,” the prime minister said.
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