A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck eastern Japan early Sunday, injuring more than 20 people and causing disruptions to transportation. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake’s epicenter was in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, about 68 kilometers below the surface.
No tsunami warning was issued following the quake, which registered a lower 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Ibaraki Prefecture and central Tokyo.
Local authorities said more than 20 people were injured across the region. Among those hurt were a young man and a woman in her 70s in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Nine people were injured in Kanagawa and four in Chiba Prefecture.
Train services in the area faced delays and slower speeds after the quake. Tobu Railway suspended some of its express trains altogether.
Authorities confirmed that no abnormalities were detected at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture or at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini facilities in northeastern Japan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed officials to determine the full extent of the damage and provide timely information to the public, while the weather agency urged residents to stay alert for additional tremors registering below 5 on the seismic scale over the next week, particularly over the next two to three days.
The shaking was felt over a broad area, reaching as far as northeastern and central parts of Japan.
