Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A mild earthquake observing a maximum seismic intensity of 4 on the Japanese scale of 7 hit the Yamaguchi, Ehime, and Oita prefectures in Chugoku-Shikoku and Kyushu regions southwest Japan at 20:50 on Saturday, July 17, but caused no tsunami, the Japanese Metrological Agency said.

The trembler’s epicenter was off Ehime Prefecture at a depth of about 80 km, with a magnitude estimated to be 5.1. 

The area of the earthquake’s focus, Iyo-nada, was also struck by a 4.3 magnitude with a maximum seismic intensity of 3 occurred on Thursday, 8th of this month.

In 2014, there was an M6.2 earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of 5 or higher. It was the first time in seven years that an earthquake with an epicenter of Iyo Nada had a seismic intensity of 4 or higher, local media reported. 

Japan Meteorological Agency said that this earthquake was a type with a pressure axis in the north-northwest-south-southeast direction (reverse fault type with a strike-slip component).

Judging from the focal mechanism solution and the depth of the epicenter, the Agency concluded the earthquake occurred on the Philippine Sea plate that sinks under the Eurasian plate.

A shaking with seismic intensity 3 to 1 was also observed in a wide range in Kyushu, Chugoku region, Shikoku, and Kinki.