Japan Earthquake: 5.9 Magnitude Tremor Hits Tokyo Region, 23 Injured
A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 struck eastern Japan, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, early Sunday morning, injuring at least 23 people, most of them slightly, according to official reports. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said there was no danger of a tsunami.
The quake originated in the southern Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of 70 kilometres, the agency said. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a preliminary magnitude of 5.8. Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. The depth of this quake likely contributed to the relatively limited damage, as deeper tremors tend to dissipate energy before reaching the surface.
According to prefectural officials, the injured were spread across four prefectures: nine each in Saitama and Kanagawa, four in Chiba, and one in Ibaraki. Many of the injuries occurred when people, caught off guard while sleeping, fell or struck themselves against furniture and doors in a panic while getting out of bed. In Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, a woman in her 80s fell from her bed and suffered a serious hip injury, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
The earthquake disrupted train services in the region. Express trains serving Tokyo and Narita Airport, as well as other local trains in northeastern areas, faced delays. However, operator East Japan Railway Co. said Shinkansen bullet trains were running normally. Japan's rail systems are designed with seismic sensors that automatically halt trains during significant tremors, a measure that has proven effective in reducing accidents.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on social media platform X that the government had set up a task force to assess the extent of potential damage. Emergency earthquake alerts were triggered on mobile phones, and significant shaking was felt in Tokyo. Public broadcaster NHK showed traffic on roads in nearby cities, including Mito and Saitama, appearing to be normal.
In Tokyo's eastern ward of Koto, an underground water pipe ruptured, causing water to pour onto a road, NHK footage showed. The pipe was repaired and the leak stopped later. The quake also caused power outages affecting approximately 460 homes in Tokyo, but electricity was restored by later Sunday morning, according to TEPCO Power Grid.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no anomalies at around a dozen nuclear power plants and other facilities handling nuclear materials. This reassurance comes in a country still deeply wary of nuclear risks following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, which was triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami. Japan has since implemented stricter safety standards and reinforced disaster preparedness.
Last month, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan's southern island of Kyushu, claiming 38 lives and injuring 364 people. That earthquake also destroyed more than 1,500 buildings and damaged nearly 20,000 others. The JMA regularly monitors seismic activity and issues early warnings to help residents take cover, a system that has been honed through decades of experience.
Sunday's tremor was felt strongly in Tokyo, but authorities say the impact remains limited. The government's task force is continuing to assess the situation, and no further damage or casualties have been reported beyond the initial figures. Japan's stringent building codes and public awareness campaigns have long been credited with minimising the toll of earthquakes, even as the nation prepares for a possible major quake directly under the capital in the coming decades.
