5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Western Shizuoka, Strong Shaking Felt in Nagoya
Thestandard · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck western Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan on Sunday morning, with strong shaking felt across central Japan including parts of Nagoya and Tokyo. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a maximum intensity of 5-upper in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, and confirmed there was no tsunami risk. The quake occurred at around 1:04am local time with its epicenter at 34.9 degrees north latitude and 137.7 degrees east longitude, at a depth of about 40 kilometers.
Key Points
- The earthquake occurred at 1:04am local time on Sunday (0:04am Hong Kong time), with its epicenter in western Shizuoka at coordinates 34.9°N, 137.7°E and a depth of approximately 40 kilometers .
- Chita in Aichi Prefecture recorded the highest seismic intensity of 5-upper, while intensity 5-lower was observed in multiple areas including Ena in Gifu, Hamamatsu's Hamana ward in Shizuoka, and Toyota and other municipalities in Aichi .
- Several wards in Nagoya and parts of Shizuoka, Gifu, Nagano, and Mie prefectures experienced intensity 4 tremors, with intensity 3 felt in parts of Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, and Osaka .
- The Japan Meteorological Agency issued an emergency earthquake warning and confirmed that the quake would not trigger a tsunami .
- Parts of Tokyo also experienced the earthquake, recording intensity levels of 1 to 2 .
Why It Matters
Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most seismically active zones, making such earthquakes a recurring reality for the country. While the 5.7-magnitude tremor caused significant shaking in populated areas, the absence of a tsunami threat provided some relief, though the event underscores the importance of earthquake preparedness in the region .
Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most seismically active zones, making such earthquakes a recurring reality for the country. While the 5.7-magnitude tremor caused significant shaking in populated areas, the absence of a tsunami threat provided some relief, though the event underscores the importance of earthquake preparedness in the region .