Magnitude 6.9 earthquake hits off Japan’s east
No tsunami warning after tremors near Ogasawara Islands in northern Pacific Ocean
TOKYO
Tokyo and other eastern Japanese prefectures shook Tuesday night after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near a set of islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, but there was reportedly no risk of a tsunami, according to local media.
Kyodo News cited the country’s meteorological agency as saying the tremors occurred at 9.25 p.m. (1325GMT) near the Ogasawara Islands, located around 1,000 kilometers (over 620 miles) south of Tokyo, at a depth of about 480 kilometers.
The agency reported that the earthquake measured at 1 according to Japan’s seismic intensity scale of 7 in the capital, but higher in closer areas, such as 4 in Ogasawara and 2 in other prefectures in the east and north.
Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active areas. It accounts for around 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
The country’s coastal areas of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures were devastated in the wake of a March 2011 quake. An ensuing massive tsunami killed more than 18,000 people and triggered a nuclear disaster.
