A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake, which measured a strong 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale — the second-highest level — jolted Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in the Tohoku region late Saturday night.
The quake, which also felt in Tokyo, where it registered a 4 on the Japanese scale, struck around 11:08 p.m., according to the Meteorological Agency. A tsunami warning was not issued.
As a precaution, however, those near coastal areas were advised to move to higher ground as aftershocks could continue.
The quake registered a strong 6 in the southern part of Miyagi, and the Nakadori central and Hamadori coastal regions of Fukushima, the agency said.
The Hamadori region is home to the quake- and tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. There were no reports of abnormalities at the facility, public broadcaster NHK said.
The government was setting up a task force to examine the quake.
Comment: This one has since been
updated to a 7.3M quake. Japanese authorities report no deaths but around
150 injuries, and even though its strongest impact on land was just 40km from the Daichi nuclear power plant, they're reporting 'nothing to worry about there'. Which they would, given what happened last time...
This quake comes just a month shy of the 10-year anniversary of the 9.0M earthquake and tsunami that devastated eastern Japan on 11 March 2011.
We're reminded of Mexico City experiencing its strongest quake in recent years
on the 32-year anniversary of its worst in modern times. Is some 'mass mind effect' involved (sometimes) in the timing/release of certain planetary/cosmic energies?
A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck late Saturday off the coast of Tohoku, leaving at least 50 people injured and knocking multiple power plants offline. The quake, which measured a strong 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale - the second-highest level - jolted Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in the Tohoku region. No tsunami warning was issued. The injuries were reported in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, but it was not immediately clear if anyone was seriously hurt. Nationwide, at least 950,000 homes were without power as of midnight, top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said at a news conference. Kato later said that multiple power plants in the nation were offline. A government source said the power outage situation was expected to improve through the early hours of Sunday but that more time would be needed in the Tohoku region. The quake, which was also felt in Tokyo, where it registered a 4 on the Japanese scale, struck at around 11:07 p.m., according to the Meteorological Agency. The epicenter was off the coast of Fukushima, about 220 kilometers (135 miles) north of Tokyo. Its focus was estimated to be at a depth of about 55 kilometers.