Arab News Japan

TOKYO: An earthquake observing a maximum seismic intensity of 5 uppers struck Oita and Miyazaki prefectures, southwestern Japan, at around 1:08 on Saturday, January 22, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said, noting there is no worry about a tsunami.

The tremor’s epicenter was in Hyuga-nada at a depth of about 40km, with a magnitude estimated to be 6.4.

The agency has released an Earthquake Early Warning that millions of residents in the region received.

The agency asked people to be careful in the areas hit with strong shaking of the maximum seismic intensity of 5 or higher for about a week. In particular, it said that large-scale earthquakes often occur in the next few days.

In 2 years and eight months since May 10, 2019, it is the first time that an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 5 lower or higher was observed in the Hyuga-nada earthquake, and no earthquake with a seismic intensity of 5 uppers has been observed in the past.

On the other hand, in the earthquake whose epicenter is slightly north of this earthquake (Bungo Channel), the seismic intensity of 5 uppers was observed on June 20, 2017.

This earthquake is analyzed by the Japan Meteorological Agency’s preliminary analysis as a normal fault type earthquake with a tension axis in the west-northwest-east-southeast direction.

Municipalities that observed seismic intensity five or higher included Oita, Saiki and Taketa cities in Oita Prefecture and Takachiho, Nobeoka Cities in Miyazaki Prefecture.

Seismic intensity five lower was observed in Kochi and Kumamoto Prefectures, and seismic intensity four was observed in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures.

Initial reports on the damage included a telephone pole tilted in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture and furniture falling in other places. The road was flooded with water in front of NHK’s Oita Broadcasting Station. Moreover, there has also been a series of blackouts in Saeki, Oita Prefecture.