The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong earthquake struck the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido early Monday morning. It says no tsunami was observed.
The JMA says the quake, with an intensity of upper 5 on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7, occurred at 5:23 a.m. in the southern Tokachi region. The focus was at a depth of 83 kilometers with its epicenter in southern Tokachi. The magnitude was estimated at 6.2.
An intensity of upper 5 was recorded in Urahoro Town, while an intensity of lower 5 was observed in Niikappu Town.
An intensity of 4 was recorded in Kiyota Ward of Sapporo City and the cities of Hakodate, Kushiro, Obihiro, Mikasa, Chitose and elsewhere in the prefecture. Hashikami Town in Aomori Prefecture also had an intensity of 4.
Jolts ranging in intensity from 1 to 3 were felt in a wide area, including the Tohoku and Kanto regions.
JMA official Ebita Ayataka held a news conference after the quake.
He said that areas that experienced strong shaking face an increased risk of falling rocks and landslides. He urged residents to remain vigilant for further seismic activity and rainfall. He also said caution is needed for quakes with a maximum intensity of around upper 5 for about a week.
The agency had issued an advisory for a potential megaquake after the April 20 powerful earthquake off the coast of Sanriku. It said there was a relatively high possibility of a strong tremor along the Chishima Trench and the Japan Trench. The advisory period ended on Monday evening.
The agency says Monday morning’s quake in the southern Tokachi region was not covered by the advisory and did not meet the criteria for another megaquake advisory.
AloJapan.com