Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Strikes Japan

On Friday afternoon, a strong, shallow magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck central Japan, killing at least one person and wounding more than 20 others. According to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

The quake was centered at a depth of roughly 12 kilometers (7.5 miles), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Since then, more than 50 aftershocks of sufficient magnitude have been reported, including one of 5.8 magnitude on Friday night.

The majority of injuries and property damage were reported at Suzu, located near the northern tip of Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. One person died after falling from a ladder, while 22 others were hurt, two of them were badly. The remainder were minor injuries.

According to the prefecture crisis management bureau, approximately 100 residents sought refuge in evacuation centres on Friday night. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, one injury was reported in the neighbouring prefecture of Toyama.

 

Fallen and Crumbles Houses

A number of houses were also damaged. Some homeowners put blue plastic tarps over damaged areas of their homes on Saturday morning, anticipating rain in the evening.

NHK public television presented a footage showing a part of a slope that had crumbled and fallen on a house. It also aired a video shot by a staff member while visiting a cousin in Ishikawa prefecture, which showed a room shaking for over half a minute and picture frames rattling on the walls. This week in Japan, several national holidays are observed.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who arrived Friday night from a multilateral trip to Africa and Singapore, extended condolences to quake victims and encouraged locals to “exercise extreme caution” in the face of possible powerful aftershocks and subsequent mudslides.

East Japan Railway Co. stated that bullet trains between Tokyo and Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture were temporarily suspended for safety checks but have since resumed normal operations, albeit with considerable delays.

According to the Nuclear Regulation Authority, there were no anomalies at the area’s nuclear power stations.

Japan Located in the Ring of Fire

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on the planet due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is an area with a lot of tectonic activity. In fact, Japan experiences around 20% of the world’s earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or greater.

One of the most devastating earthquakes in Japan’s recent history was the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011. The earthquake had a magnitude of 9.0 and triggered a massive tsunami that caused widespread destruction and loss of life along the east coast of Japan. The disaster also resulted in a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was damaged by the earthquake and tsunami.

In addition to the Great East Japan Earthquake, there have been many other significant earthquakes in Japan’s history. Some of the most notable ones include the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which had a magnitude of 7.9 and resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 people; the Kobe Earthquake of 1995, which had a magnitude of 6.9 and caused widespread damage to the city of Kobe; and the Tohoku Earthquake of 2015, which had a magnitude of 7.8 and caused landslides and other damage in northern Japan.

Japan has implemented some of the most advanced earthquake-resistant building codes and technologies in the world, and has an extensive early warning system in place to alert people to impending earthquakes. Despite this, earthquakes remain a significant hazard in Japan, and the country continues to work to improve its preparedness and response capabilities.