5.8-magnitude quake hits south-western Japan; no tsunami warning
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
The temblor occurred shortly after 6pm local time on Nov 25.
PHOTO: EARTHQUAKE.USGS.GOV
Follow topic:
TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 hit the south-western Japan prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita on Nov 25, with the country’s weather agency warning the public to remain on alert for about a week for possible similar or stronger quakes.
No tsunami warning was issued, after the quake occurred shortly after 6pm and originated in Kumamoto’s Aso area.
The quake registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Ubuyama, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Upper 5 is defined as a level at which many people find it difficult to walk.
The quake registered lower 5 in Kumamoto’s Aso and was also felt in Oita’s Taketa, where a lower 5 was registered, the agency said.
A woman was slightly injured in Aso after falling in her home, the local authorities said.
The latest quake occurred in an area of Kyushu, one of Japan’s four main islands, where a pair of massive quakes struck in 2016.
The agency, which initially reported the quake’s magnitude at 5.7, also revised the depth of the focus from about 10km to 9km.
Despite the quake, JR Kyushu said services on the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line operated normally.
No abnormalities were detected at the Genkai nuclear power station in Saga Prefecture and the Sendai power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, according to its operator Kyushu Electric Power Co.
The agency also said there were no changes detected in active volcanoes such as Mount Aso and ruled out any link between the quake and volcanic activity.
According to a local meteorological observatory, the last time a quake with an intensity of upper 5 was observed in Kumamoto was in January 2019. KYODO NEWS
