The key facts

  • Magnitude 6.1 earthquake off the eastern coast of Honshu, hypocenter at a depth of 10 km
  • Tremors measuring 3 on the intensity scale at the Tokai-2 nuclear power plant led to a temporary shutdown
  • No reports of injuries or damage; no tsunami threat was declared

Earthquake off the coast of Honshu

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of the Japanese island of Honshu. According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the epicenter was located 199 km southeast of the city of Narita, which has a population of about 100,000, and the hypocenter lay at a depth of 10 km.

Consequences: nuclear plant shutdown and train service disruption

According to the Japanese TV channel NHK, there were no reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami threat was issued. However, tremors measuring 3 on the Japanese intensity scale were recorded at the Tokai-2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, where the plant's operation was temporarily suspended; according to the TV channel, the radiation level in the area does not exceed permissible limits. In addition, high-speed train services in both directions between Tokyo and Miwa-Akio stations, as well as between Tokyo and Fukushima, were suspended in the prefecture for some time.

Context

Gazeta.Ru, in its report on the tremors off Honshu, separately mentioned that it had previously been reported that an earthquake had occurred in China; the publication provides no details about this earlier event, and no connection between the two is established.