TOKYO: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit Japan’s northeastern region on Friday (Dec 12), prompting a tsunami advisory for waves up to 1m high from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The quake struck at 11.44am (10.44am, Singapore time) off the coast of Aomori prefecture with a depth of 20km, after a bigger 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the same region late on Monday.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) also said that the quake measured 6.7 and was 130km off the city of Kuji in Iwate prefecture on the main island of Honshu.
After Monday’s earthquake, which injured at least 50 people, the government issued a special advisory warning residents across a wide area, from Hokkaido in the north to Chiba, east of Tokyo, to be on alert for an increased possibility of a powerful earthquake hitting again within a week.
The tremor on Friday measured 4 on Japan’s 1-7 seismic intensity scale.
Broadcaster NHK said the level of shaking was less than the bigger tremor late on Monday, which knocked items off shelves, tore apart roads, smashed windows and triggered tsunami waves of up to 70cm.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said on Friday there were no immediate signs of abnormalities at the region’s nuclear facilities.
Source: CNA
