Strong quake shakes Japan’s hard-hit Noto Peninsula area

Strong quake shakes Japan’s hard-hit Noto Peninsula area

A strong earthquake registering an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale struck the Noto Peninsula area of Ishikawa Prefecture early Monday, the Meteorological Agency said, just over five months after a powerful temblor rocked the area spurring widespread damage.

There was no tsunami warning, the agency said.

Monday’s quake, which hit at around 6:30 a.m., registered an estimated magnitude of 5.9 and occurred at an estimated depth of 10 kilometers, the agency added, jolting the hard-hit cities of Wajima and Suzu near the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula.

According to Tokyo Electric Power, no abnormalities have been observed at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant located in Kashiwazaki City and Kariwa Village in Niigata Prefecture, which observed a seismic intensity of 4.

East Japan Railway Co said that the Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train services were temporarily halted due to power outages.

The quake triggered emergency warnings on smartphones as far away as the Kanto region, and strong tremors were felt widely, including in Niigata, Fukushima and Toyama prefectures.

The Noto area was severely damaged by a massive earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day this year.

The New Year’s Day quake has reportedly triggered a major exodus of young people, leaving the region struggling to rebuild. A recent survey found that quake damage has lead to the closure of more than 100 businesses in four municipalities in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Info from Jiji added.

Keywords: earthquake, Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, seismic intensity, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

For more detailed information about the location of the earthquake and earthquake preparedness tips, visit the Japan Meteorological Agency website.