Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Shakes Central Japan

Post created on 5:05 pm

An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck central Japan on Friday which put a halt to the bullet train services, but no tsunami warning was issued, authorities said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake hit the central Ishikawa region at 2:42 pm (0542 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles),.

The Japan Railway said the Shinkansen bullet trains were suspended between Nagano and Kanazawa, a popular tourist destination and there had been no immediate report of deaths or damages.

Friday is a public holiday in Japan, part of a run of days off known as “Golden Week”, a time when many people travel for leisure or to visit family.

In the city of Suzu, the quake registered an upper six on the Japanese Shindo seismic scale, which goes up to a maximum of seven, meaning it could cause major landslides.

The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 6.2 and said it struck just off the coast, but Japan’s Meteorological Agency placed the epicentre on land.