
Roof tiles that fell due to a strong earthquake are seen scattered in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday morning.
15:01 JST, May 11, 2023
Four people were slightly injured after a strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.2 struck the greater Tokyo area on Thursday, registering upper 5 in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake, which originated in the southern part of Chiba Prefecture at a depth of 40 kilometers, occurred at about 4:16 a.m. There were no reports of tsunami.
The earthquake registered an intensity of lower 5 in Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture, and 4 in locations including Chiba City, Chiyoda and Shinagawa wards in Tokyo, Yokohama and Kawasaki.
It was the first time in 11 years that Chiba Prefecture was hit by an earthquake measuring upper 5.
The agency called for people to be cautious about earthquakes with a maximum intensity of 5 or so for about a week. There is also the risk of falling rocks and cliff collapses in areas where the tremors were strong on Thursday.
In Kimitsu, a woman in her 70s sustained an injury to her right shoulder when she fell over at her home. In Chiba City, another woman in her 70s fell from her bed and suffered a bruise to the back of her head. In Kanagawa Prefecture, two people were also injured.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) temporarily suspended railway operations on some sections of the Uchibo, Sotobo and Kururi lines from their first trains on Thursday. Speed restrictions were temporarily imposed on expressways in Chiba Prefecture and the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line Expressway for safety inspections.
According to the Secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, no abnormalities were confirmed at nuclear facilities, including the Tokai No. 2 Power Station in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, which is currently out of operation.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Tokyo Experiences Temperatures Exceeding 30 C for 1st Time This Year; Other Parts of Japan also See Soaring Temperatures
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Expo Fails to Achieve Pledge of Line-Free Event; Smartphone Data Shows Particular Crowding at East Gate
-
Japan’s Maglev Shinkansen’s Partially Completed Station Unveiled; Station Will Be Only Underground Stop Between Shinagawa, Nagoya
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Japan Pavilion Security Guard Headset Goes Viral on Social Media; Fans Delight at Similarity to Dragon Ball “Scouter”
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Yoshimura Asks Japan Expo Association to Consider Keeping Restaurants, Shops Open until Just before 10 P.M.
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Toyoda to Become Automobile Business Association of Japan Chairman; to Help Guide U.S. Tariff-Affected Industriessns
-
Advance Payments for 2025 Rice Foretell Rising Prices; Big Buyers Moving Early; Farmers Spurred to Grow More
-
Visitors to Japan Hit Single-Month Record High in April
-
Japanese Researchers Develop ‘Transparent Paper’ as Alternative to Plastics; New Material Is Biodegradable, Can Be Produced with Low Carbon Emissions
-
Japan to Introduce Car Fuel with Up to 10% Biofuels from Fiscal 2028; Limited Rollout Expected at Areas with Refineries