A 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook central Japan early Sunday morning, injuring dozens of people. The earthquake struck at 1:04 AM local time (1604 GMT Saturday) in Shizuoka Prefecture, located west of Tokyo. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, no tsunami warning has been issued.
Damage from the Earthquake
Although there have been no reports of fatalities, the earthquake caused shop windows to shatter and goods to fall from shelves. Local authorities in Aichi reported receiving 16 reports of injuries, mostly minor. In the neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture, officials stated that at least three women sought emergency services, including a woman in her nineties who was injured after falling from her bed. Local media reported that at least 24 people were injured in these two areas.
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Transportation Disruptions
In Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, windows of a car dealership were broken, and a large bookstore in Toyota, also in Aichi, reported that goods had fallen from shelves. Regional train services, including Shinkansen bullet trains, were temporarily delayed or suspended on Sunday morning.
The earthquake was felt as far as Osaka in the west, where local media reported that a foreign resident was taken to the hospital after falling from the second floor of an apartment during the quake. Osaka officials were not immediately available for comment.
Separately, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Kumamoto region at 10:53 AM (0153 GMT) on Sunday. There were no reports of serious injuries or significant damage. This area is currently recovering from a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in July that resulted in 38 deaths and destroyed homes.
Japan is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences hundreds of earthquakes annually. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 triggered a tsunami that resulted in the death or disappearance of approximately 18,500 people and devastated the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
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