An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit the east coast of Tokyo on Friday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, without a tsunami warning having been issued.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 50 kilometers in the Pacific Ocean in Japan’s Chiba region and was strong enough to shake tall buildings in the capital and disrupt train traffic.
No abnormal situation has been detected at nuclear power plants in the region, the Japanese authorities have indicated.
Shortly before the earthquake, Japan’s advanced warning system caused television stations to warn the populace of the arrival of a potentially major earthquake.
“It was like being in a boat floating on the water – it seemed to last more than 30 seconds,” said an NHK presenter in Chiba after the earthquake.
Japan has strict building codes to ensure buildings can withstand severe earthquakes and holds regular emergency drills.
In early May, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the center of Ishikawa, Japan. One person was killed and 49 injured.
The country is haunted by the memory of a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast of northeast Japan in March 2011 that triggered a tsunami. At least 18,500 people died or went missing.
The 2011 tsunami also caused the collapse of three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and deadliest nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
Source: DN
