A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off Japan's Miyagi region on Friday evening at 8.22pm local time, prompting emergency warnings in five prefectures and a brief halt to a high-speed rail line linking Tokyo and Shin-Aomori. Authorities said there was no immediate risk of a tsunami, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was about 50km east of Ofunato and later revised the quake's magnitude from 6.6 to 6.7. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a depth of around 50 kilometres, while Japanese authorities rated it a five on the country's 1-7 intensity scale. In Tome, Osaki and Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture, it registered a lower 5, and parts of Miyagi and Iwate recorded a 4.
JR East suspended service on the Tokyo to Shin-Aomori high speed railway line after the shaking, a sign of how quickly Japan's transport system moves to safety mode when a strong quake hits. The government warning covered five prefectures, underscoring the spread of concern even though officials said no tsunami was expected.
The latest quake landed just after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck northeastern and northern Japan on April 20. That earlier quake injured at least 33 people, sent waves as high as 70cm into several coastal communities and led more than 170,000 people to be advised to evacuate across several prefectures before the warnings were lifted. The UK Foreign Office later warned travellers that there was an increased risk of strong earthquakes occurring in the coming week, saying Japan sits in a major earthquake zone.
For Japan, the pattern is the unnerving part. A major quake on April 20 was followed by another strong offshore event days later, with emergency warnings again sounding and rail operators again moving fast. The immediate question is not whether the country can respond — it already has — but how long residents and travellers will be living under the next aftershock of uncertainty.
