Monday, June 3, 2024 A strong magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook central Japan on Monday, affecting the same area hit by a devastating quake in January, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The shallow quake struck the Noto Peninsula at 6:31 am (2131 GMT Sunday), causing three houses to collapse.
Fortunately, no deaths or injuries were reported, as confirmed by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of a home with badly damaged walls and a collapsed tiled roof. Despite the severity of the quake, no abnormalities were detected at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa or Shika nuclear plants on the Sea of Japan coast, according to Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority.
The JMA noted that the region has been seismically active for over three years, including a magnitude 7.6 earthquake on January 1 that resulted in 260 deaths. The agency warned that seismic activity is expected to continue, urging residents to remain cautious, especially concerning potential landslides and falling rocks after rain or further quakes.
Monday’s earthquake triggered smartphone warning alarms and was followed by several smaller aftershocks. The JMA stated that this quake was related to the January 1 quake, sharing a similar epicenter and seismic mechanism. Japan, sitting atop four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is one of the world’s most tectonically active countries.
With around 125 million residents, the archip.
