On Wednesday evening, a preliminary magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the southern Shikoku Island area of Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The earthquake occurred in the Bungo Channel, a strait connecting the southern Shikoku and Kyushu islands, with a depth of 50 kilometers. Despite the quake’s intensity, no tsunami warning was issued.
Reports from Reuters and Kyodo News Agency mentioned that in Ehime and Kochi prefectures of Japan, the earthquake was felt at a weak 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, while Oita Prefecture experienced a weaker level 5. In Japan, earthquakes are categorized on a scale from 1 to 7.
Local media outlets have noted incidents of burst water pipes following the earthquake, but there have been no reports of significant damage so far.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, informed reporters that the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture, operated by Shikoku Electric Power, reported no abnormalities in its reactors. Efforts are underway to assess casualties and property losses caused by the earthquake. Hayashi also cautioned about the possibility of additional earthquakes below magnitude 6 occurring in Japan.
Kyushu Electric Power stated that there were no anomalies at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued directives urging local governments to cooperate closely and the government to unite in providing full assistance to disaster-affected individuals as part of emergency response measures.
Japan is known to be one of the most seismically active regions in the world, with earthquakes being a common occurrence. Earthquakes in Japan account for about one-fifth of all earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher worldwide.
On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced its strongest recorded earthquake of magnitude 9 off the northeast coast, triggering a massive tsunami. The earthquake led to the most severe nuclear crisis in the world since the Chernobyl disaster a quarter of a century earlier.