Japan earthquake injuries Shizuoka Aichi, Digi Mart USA News (Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan): A magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook the central part of Japan early Sunday, injuring more than 20 people and causing damage in several localities, according to local reports. The tremor occurred at 1:04 a.m.
local time in the western sector of Shizuoka Prefecture, and the Japan Meteorological Agency said it had a depth of 40 kilometers.
According to reports from local media, including the newspaper Chunichi Shimbun and broadcaster Tokai TV, at least 24 people were injured in Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures. Regional authorities provided a preliminary count, with a security official in Aichi confirming 16 people suffered minor injuries, while three injured people were reported in Shizuoka.
Among those hurt in Shizuoka was a 90-year-old woman who fell from her bed during the quake, according to Agence France-Presse. The tremor also broke windows and damaged buildings in some localities.
Rail operations were interrupted during the first hours of Sunday as a precautionary measure while safety conditions were assessed.
This earthquake followed a magnitude 6.1 quake that had struck the Pacific Ocean off Japan’s eastern coast on Friday, November 6, at 7:39 p.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
That tremor was felt in several parts of the country, including Tokyo.
Japan is located where four major tectonic plates converge, a geological condition that makes it highly seismically active. Reports cited in the coverage state that Japan accounts for roughly 18% of the earthquakes recorded worldwide.
Japan maintains strict emergency prevention and response protocols, along with monitoring systems designed to detect ground movement and assess potential consequences, measures intended to reduce risks to the population.
