Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes central Japan, Digi Mart USA News (Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan): A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 struck central Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday.
There was no threat of a tsunami.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said an intensity of upper 5 on the Japanese scale of zero to seven was recorded in Chita City, Aichi Prefecture, which borders Shizuoka. The agency said it was the first time since March 1997 that jolts on that scale were observed in Aichi.
The quake also registered an intensity of lower 5 in the prefectures of Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu and Nagano. The agency estimates the epicenter was in the western part of Shizuoka, at a depth of 41 kilometers.
At a news conference after the earthquake, agency official Ebita Ayataka said residents in areas hit by strong tremors should pay close attention to future seismic activity and rain conditions, as the risk of falling rocks and landslides is growing. He said people should be alert for quakes with an intensity of around upper 5 over the next week or so.
Asked about a possible connection to the Nankai Trough megaquake, Ebita said the tremor occurred in the projected epicenter area but is believed to be different from the anticipated massive earthquake. He added that the agency will continue to carefully monitor seismic activity.
Authorities in the affected areas are collecting information. A fire department in Aichi Prefecture’s Tokoname City reported that a local woman in her 50s was taken to a hospital with a fractured ankle.
In Toyota City, where an intensity of lower 5 was recorded, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 80s fell and hit their heads due to the earthquake. They were reportedly taken to a hospital with head injuries and were both conscious.
Officials in Aichi Prefecture’s Higashiura Town said water supplies have been cut off in parts of the town and that they have received reports of water gushing from manholes.
