- (General Dispatch) – Eastern Japan was hit by a strong earthquake on Saturday, with Fukushima, Miyagi and Tokyo being among the hardest hit by the 7.3 earthquake.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency indicated that the phenomenon had an epicenter of 55 kilometers (37 miles) on the seabed, so it is considered quite deep and so far no tsunami warning has been activated by the authorities.
- However, the authorities do not rule out a tsunami warning for the moment, and are constantly evaluating any situation that may occur in the coming days.
- On the other hand, the Japanese government secretary, Katsunobu Kato, assured that so far no fatalities have been recorded and that an estimated 120 people have been injured, most of them with superficial cuts and bruises, nothing to worry about.
- Electricity service is being progressively restored in the affected areas, and by dawn it was reported to be back in most of the affected areas.
- Workers and citizens have been working to clear the roads that were blocked by landslides and rocks in order to connect the different areas of the country.
- Saturday’s earthquake occurred in an area close to the epicenter of the March 2011 earthquake, which originated at a shallower depth, reached 9.1 magnitude and caused a tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan and triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
- Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said that no “significant abnormalities” in radiation levels have been observed at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini plants, which are idled and being decommissioned in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Additional Information:
Powerful Japan quake sets off landslide, minor injuries
Japan rocked by ‘aftershock’ from devastating 9.0-magnitude quake that hit in 2011
