Early Sunday morning, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake reportedly struck central Japan. More than 20 people were injured in the Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, Kyodo reports.
The underground tremors were recorded at 01:04 local time, in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture at a depth of about 40 km. In Chita City of the neighboring Aichi Prefecture, the intensity of the tremors reached five on the Japanese seven-level scale. No tsunami warning was issued.
This was the strongest earthquake in Aichi in about 30 years. The last tremors of five magnitude in the prefecture were registered in 1997.
In tremors of this strength, people have difficulty moving without support, and unsecured furniture may topple. Weaker tremors were also felt in Nagano and Gifu prefectures.
The operator of Shizuoka's "Hamaoka" nuclear power plant stated that no abnormalities have been detected in the plant's operations. The plant is located near the presumed zone of a possible powerful earthquake in the Nankai Trough region. However, the Japan Meteorological Agency assessed the likelihood that the Sunday's tremors were related to such an earthquake as low.
Due to seismic activity, some local train services were temporarily suspended. Shinkansen high-speed trains between Shizuoka and Gifu-Hashima stations ran at reduced speed, but service returned to normal by noon. The government established an operational headquarters to coordinate actions.
Later, around 10:53 a.m., a preliminary 4.3-magnitude earthquake occurred in the country's southwest, in Kumamoto Prefecture. The tremors reached an intensity of four in Kumamoto, Uto, and Uki cities.
