Strong Earthquake Rocks Ishikawa Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:53 JST, May 5, 2023 (updated at 17:35 JST)

An earthquake registering upper 6 on the Japan Meteorological Agency’s 7-point scale shook the Noto district of Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast on Friday afternoon. No tsunami warning was issued.

Another earthquake with an intensity of 4 on the scale was observed in Suzu in the prefecture, 11 minutes after the first earthquake.

A man was in cardiopulmonary arrest after falling from a ladder in Suzu, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.

“We have received information about collapsed buildings in Suzu. We are still in the process of confirming the extent of human and material damage,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno at an extraordinary press conference held after the earthquake.

The government has set up a response office in the crisis management center of the Prime Minister’s Office in response to the earthquake. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed the relevant ministries and agencies to immediately assess the damage, save lives and rescue victims, and provide appropriate information to the public.

According to the Nuclear Regulation Authority, no abnormalities have been confirmed at the Shika Nuclear Power Plant in the prefecture and the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in nearby Niigata Prefecture.