A moderate earthquake rattled eastern Japan early Sunday, injuring at least 37 people across five prefectures in and around the Tokyo region. No tsunami warning was issued.
According to ABC News, the Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a preliminary magnitude of 5.9, with the epicenter located in the southern Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of 70 kilometers, or about 42 miles. The US Geological Survey recorded the quake at magnitude 5.8.
Injuries were reported in Tokyo, where 15 people were hurt, as well as nine in Saitama, eight in Kanagawa, four in Chiba, and one in Ibaraki, according to prefectural officials and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Most of those injured fell or struck themselves against furniture or doors after being startled from sleep. A woman in her 80s suffered a serious hip injury in Yokohama after falling out of bed, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
A 23-year-old man told the Asahi newspaper that he felt a vertical jolt seconds after an earthquake alert sounded on his phone while he was shopping in Tokyo's eastern Taito district. He said he feared being hit by merchandise falling from shelves as the building shook.
The quake caused delays on express train lines serving Tokyo and Narita Airport, as well as local trains serving northeastern regions. Shinkansen bullet trains were running normally, said operator East Japan Railway Co. An underground water main ruptured in Tokyo's eastern Koto ward, sending water onto the road. NHK footage showed the flooding before the pipe was repaired and the leak stopped.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced on X that the government had set up a task force to assess potential damage. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said there were no anomalies reported at approximately a dozen nuclear power plants or facilities handling nuclear materials.
The Japan Meteorological Agency urged residents in the affected area to remain cautious about the possibility of another moderate earthquake for about a week. Last month, a separate magnitude 7.1 quake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu, killing 38 people and injuring 364.
