A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit northern Japan on Thursday morning, registering a rare upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the town of Hashikami, Aomori Prefecture.
No tsunami warning has been issued.
A mild quake was also felt in Tokyo.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the epicenter was 50 kilometers deep off the coast of Iwate Prefecture. The city of Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture registered a lower 6 while some cities in Iwate Prefecture registered an upper 5.
An upper 6 is when people can only crawl and are unable to walk during an earthquake. Unsecured furniture will topple over, according to the JMA.
The Tohoku Shinkansen line has halted operations between Sendai and Aomori, and numerous train lines in Iwate and Aomori prefectures have been suspended due to the quake, with no indication as to when they will resume.
The Prime Minister’s Office has set up a task force over the quake.
Speaking to reporters, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that there was “no tsunami concern” and asked residents of the affected areas “to remain vigilant for the possibility of another earthquake of similar magnitude.”
In a presser Thursday morning, JMA officials warned those in areas most affected by the quake, particularly those living near the Japan Trench and Kuril Trench, to be on alert for future earthquakes for up to a week. Following a large quake, there’s a 10%-20% chance that another major quake can occur in the same area, especially in the following two to three days.
There have been no reports of casualties so far and no abnormalities at nuclear power facilities in the area, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in a news conference. Fuji TV reported that several people may have been trapped in an elevator in Hachinohe after it stopped due to the quake.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi ordered the Self-Defense Forces to conduct aerial intelligence-gathering operations in the quake-hit areas.
Northern Japan has been experiencing quakes in the past few months.
In May, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, measuring a lower 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, struck the Tohoku region, while in April, a magnitude 7.7 quake struck the same area, causing authorities to issue a special advisory to be on alert for a larger quake. In Thursday’s briefing, Ayaki Ebita, head of the agency’s earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, said that area is more prone to earthquakes, and that major quakes of magnitude 7 or above typically occur there every 10 to 20 years.
The government’s headquarters for earthquake research said earlier this month that multiple quakes have been occurring in the area following a magnitude 7.7 quake on Nov. 4. The headquarters have stated they believe that this is due to post-seismic deformation in Iwate Prefecture. The area is the highest risk zone for a potential megathrust quake, according to the headquarters.
Furthermore, the headquarters asserts that an analysis of repeat quakes in the surrounding area suggests that a seismic slip is ongoing. When asked about this by reporters in Thursday’s briefing, JMA officials declined to comment.
This is a developing story. Updates to follow.
More information: