Magnitude 6.2 earthquake shakes northern Japan

The earthquake struck the northern island of Hokkaido, but no injuries or significant damage were reported.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook Japan’s northernmost main island, Hokkaido, on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

No tsunami warning has been issued. There were no reports of problems at the area’s nuclear power plants or power outages or bullet trains running in northern Japan.

The earthquake, which struck at 6:55 p.m. (09:55 GMT), was 140 km (87 mi) deep and struck the southwestern part of Hokkaido, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency.

It shook much of the island, including the towns of Chitose and Atsuma, the agency said.

Parts of northern Honshu, the country’s largest island where Tokyo is located, were also shaken, although the country’s capital was not affected.

An earthquake-prone nation

Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries and lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean basin.

In March 2011, the country was hit by a massive magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake in the northeast. The earthquake triggered a tsunami that left about 18,500 people dead or missing. It also caused a major incident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

In March 2022, a powerful earthquake struck northeastern Japan, shaking buildings some 275 km (171 mi) away in Tokyo and leaving hundreds of thousands without power, including in the capital. Three people died and more than 100 were injured.

In May 2023, a powerful magnitude 6.5 earthquake killed at least one, damaged buildings and injured more than 20 people.