A strong earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rattled central Japan on Monday morning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The earthquake struck at 6:31 am (2131 GMT) with its epicenter located in the Noto Peninsula, the same region where a devastating quake on January 1 claimed over 230 lives. Despite the intensity of the quake, there was no immediate tsunami warning issued.
Local authorities reported no immediate damage, but they are still in the process of gathering information, as per reports from public broadcaster NHK. Shortly after the initial quake, a smaller magnitude-4.8 tremor occurred in the same area about 10 minutes later, as confirmed by the JMA.
In response to the seismic activity, the operator of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, located in the affected region, halted operations to assess for any potential damage, NHK stated. The broadcaster also cautioned that buildings in the coastal Sea of Japan region may have been previously weakened by the powerful earthquake and subsequent aftershocks experienced earlier in the year.
The January 1 earthquake had caused widespread destruction on the Noto Peninsula, resulting in building collapses, fires, and infrastructure disruptions during New Year’s Day celebrations.
Being situated atop four major tectonic plates along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” Japan is highly prone to seismic activity. The country experiences approximately 1,500 earthquakes annually, accounting for about 18 percent of global earthquake occurrences. Despite this frequency, Japan’s stringent building codes and advanced construction methods typically mitigate the impact of such natural disasters, minimizing damage even from significant quakes in the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Sources By Agencies
