6.2 Magnitude Quake Strikes Tohoku in Northern Japan

Japan Earthquake Now: 6.2 Magnitude Quake Strikes Tohoku in Northern Japan

Rounak Bagchi

Earlier, a separate magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded in the sea several hundred kilometres south of Hokkaido

A strong earthquake has struck the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, according to US and Japanese monitoring agencies, the latest in a series of tremors affecting the country. The quake, with a magnitude of 6.2, occurred at 05:23 local time on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, revising an earlier estimate of 6.1. It struck at a depth of 83km (52 miles) in southern Hokkaido. 

No tsunami warning was issued, the agency said. 

The United States Geological Survey assessed that the risk to life and property was likely to be low, noting the relatively sparse population in the affected area, around 200km east of Sapporo.

However, a JMA official warned that "in areas that experienced strong shaking, the danger of falling rocks and landslides has increased". The agency also cautioned that there is a high likelihood of further earthquakes of similar strength in the region over the coming week.

Earlier, a separate magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded in the sea several hundred kilometres south of Hokkaido. The latest tremors follow a warning issued last week by the JMA about an increased risk of a "megaquake" — magnitude 8.0 or higher — after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Iwate Prefecture.

That quake injured six people and caused buildings to sway as far away as Tokyo. It also generated tsunami waves of up to 80cm (31 inches) at a port in Iwate, with smaller waves recorded elsewhere along Japan’s northern coast. 

Following the event, the JMA said "the likelihood of a new, huge earthquake occurring is relatively higher than during normal times". 

Japan lies along the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire", where several tectonic plates meet. The country experiences around 1,500 earthquakes each year, accounting for roughly 18% of the world’s total. 

The nation remains marked by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, a magnitude 9.0 undersea quake that triggered a devastating tsunami and nuclear disaster, leaving around 18,500 people dead or missing.