Arab News Tokyo

A strong earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Japanese scale Shindo hit North Ishikawa prefecture that is facing the Sea of ​​Japan at 2:18 early morning of Friday (March 13, 2020).

The Meteorological agency said  that it has not observed the possibility Tsunami and said there is no need to issue a warning on that.

The epicenter of the quake was 10 kilometers deep beneath the crust under Noto peninsula in the prefecture with a magnitude of 5.4 shindo scale of 7, and on a scale of 4 to 2 in the neighboring towns and prefectures, including Niigata and Gifu.

The authorities stressed that the Shiga nuclear plant in the area was not affected by the earthquake, which hit at that spot at 4 Shindo. Hokuriku Electric Power Company, which operates the plant, reported that no abnormalities were observed at the plant that contains two nuclear reactors, which are currently under maintenance.

The Meteorological Agency noted that the region has been hit by earthquakes on a scale of more than 5 Shindo since 2007, including a 6.9 Shindo magnitude earthquake in the Noto Peninsula.

The authorities, including Disaster Prevention and Crisis Management departments, have not reported any damage or injuries, while the agency is preparing to hold a press conference at 4.30 this morning to give new details about the earthquake.

Experts say that the occurrence of the earthquake in an area not deep in the earth's crust in the region means that there is a severe stress  in the geological features. The agency advised  the population to be vigilant against strong tremors. The agency called on citizens not to place heavy or unstable objects in high places at their homes or sleep underneath.