An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck off Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan early Sunday, as confirmed by the country’s weather agency. The temblor occurred at 5:21 a.m. local time off Iwate’s eastern coast at a depth of about 40 km. It registered a lower 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Aomori and Iwate prefectures.
No abnormalities were reported at the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori or at the Onagawa nuclear power complex in Miyagi Prefecture following the earthquake. The quake’s epicenter was pinpointed at a latitude of 40.2 degrees north and a longitude of 142.4 degrees east. Just a few days earlier, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake had shaken the same region, resulting in injuries to at least 10 individuals.
Friday also witnessed seismic activity with two quakes, measuring 5.6 and 5.8 magnitudes, striking near Tokyo. The tremors were distinctly felt in the capital, leading to injuries to at least 10 people. Additionally, on Thursday, a 4.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern Ibaraki Prefecture at 11:49 a.m., with tremors felt in Tokyo as well.
In another incident on Thursday, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan, causing injuries to four individuals. The earthquake, later revised up from a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, occurred at around 7:30 a.m. local time off the eastern coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of about 40 km. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that it measured upper 6 on Japan’s seismic scale of 7 in Hashikami Town and lower 6 in Hachinohe City, both in Aomori Prefecture.
