Japan earthquake which hit Tokyo late Monday night had a reported 5.6 on the Richter scale. The Japan earthquake shook buildings in eastern Japan, including the capital Tokyo, but fortunately did not bring any reports of serious damage.
According to news.com.au, there were also no reports of immediate risk of a tsunami.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicentre of the Japan earthquake was believed to be in the south of Ibaraki prefecture, just northeast of Tokyo. Reuters reports that it was located around 50 kilometres (30 miles) below the surface. The depth of the Japan earthquake was 31 miles (50 km) and there was no risk of a tsunami, added the agency.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey also issued a report saying that the Japan earthquake was centered about two kilometers west/northwest of Iwai, Japan. The Japan earthquake reportedly hit at around 11:28 p.m. ET.
USA Today said that the agency also reported the temblor to have registered a 5.6 on the Richter Scale. While the USGS' Japanese counterparts said there was no danger of a tsunami from the Japan earthquake, which its effect could be felt in buildings for more than a minute after the beginning of an initial shaking.
Bullet train services in the area of Shinkansen have been declared partially suspended after the Japan earthquake. Eventually, operations resumed after there were no reported warnings of any danger, according to a tweet by the Agence France-Presse Tokyo.
According to Reuters, there were also no reported irregularities by the Japan Atomic Power Co and Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) (9501.T) at their three nuclear plants in eastern Japan.
An official of Japan Atomic official reportedly said that there have been no irregularities at the 1.1-gigawatt Tokai Daini still-fragile plant, which has been shut since May 2011 due to the extremely strong magnitude 9 Japan earthquake which struck them.
According to a Tepco spokeswoman, there have also been no irregularities at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant which had been wrecked by the March 2011 quake and tsunami, and the Fukushima-Daini plant.
Spokesman Keisuke Murakami said of the status of the plants after the recent Japan earthquake, "There was no abnormality in our monitoring at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the earthquake. Also, we have not received any reports of damage from the latest quake."
According to news.com.au, the Japan Atomic Power Co said that the Tokai No. 2 Power Station, nearest to the epicentre of the recent Japan earthquake on Monday, showed no signs of problems.
Meanwhile, an Ibaraki prefectural government official said checks were still ongoing, but so far there is nothing amiss in the wider area.
The official said, "We have not received any reports of damage, injuries or casualties following the earthquake. We are still checking if the quake could result in damage."
According to USA Today, there have been no reports of injuries from the recent Japan earthquake, but The Weather Channel reported it received word of minor damage, though there had been no major ones.
Tokyo is currently the host to the Pan Pacific Open Tennis Tournament. Stars of the game shared their experience of the recent Japan earthquake via Twitter, reports news.com.au.
Earthquake experience this morning! 5,6 Rychter scale was quite scary! #tokyo #earthquake #scary https://t.co/uZQwNgcR2h
— lucie safarova (@luciesafarova) September 16, 2014
Jason Morrison, an Australian radio broadcaster, also tweeted his experience of the Japan earthquake from a high-rise in Tokyo.
Staying in high-rise hotel in Tokyo just hit by a quake and they are now broadcasting messages over PA telling people to stay calm. — Jason Morrison (@JasonMorrisonAU) September 16, 2014
Tokyo quake: Lifts shutdown in high-rise buildings around where I'm staying as a precaution. Hotel staff say jolt was "biggest this year"
— Jason Morrison (@JasonMorrisonAU) September 16, 2014
According to news.com.au, Japan is hit by around a fifth of the world's powerful quakes each year, especially since the country sits at the conjunction of several tectonic plates.
Building codes have been rigorous and regular disaster drills are held to ensure safety. There had been no casualties or property damages from any earthquake in Japan until the 9.0 magnitude undersea quake of March 2011. The quake reportedly killed around 18,000 people. It also created the world's worst nuclear emergency for a generation.
Japan earthquake on Monday appears to show that the country is once again back to normal when it comes to damages and casualties in their earthquakes. Hopefully, such trend continues and the 2011 earthquake disaster does not happen again.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
