M5.9 Quake Strikes Eastern Japan Including Tokyo, Disrupting Traffic

TOKYO, Aug 23 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 hit eastern Japan early Sunday, causing traffic disruption and injuries in the Tokyo region, the weather agency and local authorities said, Kyodo News reported.

The 2.00 am quake, which originated in the southern part of Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of 68 kilometres, did not trigger a tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The temblor registered a lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of the prefecture as well as in central Tokyo.

The start of some train services was delayed following the quake, according to JR East and other operators.

Multiple people were injured in the earthquake, including a young man and a woman in her 70s in Saitama, north of Tokyo, as well as three people in Kawasaki, just south of the capital, according to local fire departments.

In Tokyo's Koto Ward, a water main ruptured, prompting metropolitan authorities to look into whether the damage was linked to the temblor.

A lower-5 intensity was also recorded in parts of Saitama and Chiba prefectures. In central Tokyo, the same intensity was registered in Adachi Ward, while other parts of the capital recorded lower intensities.

No abnormalities were detected at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture or the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and the nearby Fukushima Daini plant in northeastern Japan, according to their operators.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on social media that she had instructed officials to ascertain the extent of the damage from the quake and provide timely information to the public.

The weather agency urged the public to remain alert for an earthquake registering lower 5 on the seismic intensity scale over the next week, especially during the next two to three days.

Sunday's quake was felt across a wide swath of the country, including northeastern and central Japan.

The agency issued an emergency earthquake alert when the quake struck.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO