Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A large earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale struck near the islands of Toshima and Niijima in the Pacific Ocean south of the Japan mainland on Monday.

 

The earthquake had a seismic intensity of 5-minus on the Japanese scale of 7 (5 on a scale of 10) on Toshima Island and was located at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km.

 

It registered a seismic intensity of 4 on Niijima Island and 3 in Makino Hara City and Higashi Izu on Japan’s main island of Honshu.

 

The epicenter was in the ocean but there was no danger of a tsunami, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake struck at 4:42 p.m. after an earthquake warning was issued.

 

A number of earthquakes were felt both before and after the 5.3 quake.

 

Several medium-sized earthquakes have hit Japan in recent weeks, including a 5.4 magnitude quake in nearby Chiba Prefecture on May 11.

 

A chain of islands lie in the Pacific Ocean to the southwest of Tokyo and they are governed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government.