A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Tokyo region early on Sunday, injuring at least 37 people and disrupting rail services across the Japanese capital, with authorities warning of the risk of further strong shaking over the coming week.
The quake hit at around 2am local time and was centred in the southern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, north-east of Tokyo, at a depth of 68 kilometres, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The US Geological Survey put the magnitude slightly lower, at 5.8. No tsunami threat arose from the quake.
Violent shaking prompted Japan’s warning systems to sound public announcements and street sirens and to push alerts to smartphones across the affected area. The shaking lasted up to a minute in some districts and was felt shortly after early-warning alarms woke residents, The Japan Times reported.
The tremor registered lower 5 on Japan’s seven-point shindo intensity scale in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward and in parts of Ibaraki, Saitama and Chiba prefectures — strong enough to knock objects from shelves and force people to steady themselves.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported 22 people lightly hurt in Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Ibaraki, with 15 more injured in Tokyo. One person in Kanagawa was seriously injured. Ada Derana reported that the worst case was a woman in her 80s in Yokohama who fell while trying to get out of bed after the quake and injured her hip.
A ceiling partially collapsed at Ushiku City Hall in Ibaraki, and there were reports of people trapped in lifts in Tokyo. A building in Saitama sustained minor damage. Authorities are investigating whether a ruptured water main in the capital was linked to the quake, Kyodo News said.
East Japan Railway Company reported delays across several lines on Sunday morning, including the Joban, Keihin Tohoku, Shonan Shinjuku, Musashino and Chuo-Sobu lines.
The weather agency warned of an elevated landslide risk, noting that soil in the region had been loosened by torrential rain on Saturday, and cautioned that strong aftershocks remained possible in the days ahead.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said within an hour of the quake that a liaison office had been set up at the Prime Minister’s Office Crisis Management Centre and urged residents in strongly shaken areas to stay alert for another quake of similar size.
