The Central part of Japan was hit by a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.7 Japan earthquake resulted in the injuries to around 40 people.
The mountainous region of Nagano Prefecture was hit by the earthquake causing the destruction of at least 10 homes. 21 people were initially trapped in the rubble of these collapsed homes.
Landslides were caused due to the Japan earthquake due to which 8 routes were blocked in the affected areas. Electricity and water were also cut in more than 1,500 homes. 80 people were also forced to spend their nights in shelters due to Japan earthquake.
Japan earthquake originated beneath the earth at a depth of 10 km towards its epicenter. Fortunately, there was no Tsunami alert issued by the government. In the 90 minutes that followed the recent Japan earthquake, 21 aftershocks were felt by the people in the area.
The chief cabinet secretary told reporters from several newspapers that the Japanese army had been sent to the affected area and several other units were put on high alert.
An aftershock showing a magnitude of 4.3 was also felt in the northern parts of Nagano in the morning. The tremors were felt throughout the day.
The meteorological agency issued a statement in which it said: “There is a possibility that an aftershock registering upper 5 [which is mid-range in the JMA’s scale of seismic intensity] could occur in the coming week.”
The estimated magnitude was also revised by the agency. In earlier statements, the magnitude of Japan earthquake was estimated at 6.8. The earthquake was filled throughout the country, however, the nuclear reactor did not depict irregularities.
Japan earthquake was felt in many parts of the country including the western and eastern parts. The Railway Company of East Japan announced that it was suspending bullet trains throughout the region including Yamagata, Tohoku, Joetsu, Akita and Nagano. The operations were resumed after a while except in Nagano where the suspension was carried out for a longer period of time.
A spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Company assured the people that the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant was normal and there was nothing to be afraid of in this regard. The plant is the biggest power station in the world but it is currently offline.
Villagers in the region where the earthquake generated, said that they had experienced long tremors. The tremors were severe and strong and made things fall including pictures hung over the walls. However, the walls of most of the house did not show any cracks. Landslides had also blocked roads in the area.
Japan is situated on an arc of oceanic trenches and volcanoes that flank the Pacific Basin. It is also romantically called the ring of fire. The country experiences the highest number of earthquakes and tremors in the whole world.
There was an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 in March 2011. It had struck under the surface of the ocean near the northern city of Sendai.
