Tokyo, Aug 2026 : A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck eastern Japan early Sunday, sending strong tremors across the Tokyo metropolitan area and parts of the wider Kanto region and leaving at least 37 people injured. Authorities said there was no threat of a tsunami following the quake.
The earthquake occurred at around 2 a.m. local time in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The agency placed the depth of the earthquake at approximately 70 km. The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially estimated the magnitude at 5.8.
The strongest shaking was recorded at lower 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in parts of Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba and Tokyo. Tremors were felt over a broad area of Kanto, including Kanagawa, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures, causing residents to wake suddenly and prompting emergency alerts on mobile phones.
The number of injured rose to at least 37 as authorities continued assessing the impact. Most injuries were reportedly minor and occurred when people were startled by the shaking. Some residents fell from their beds, while others collided with furniture, doors or other objects while attempting to evacuate in panic.
Among those injured was a woman in her 80s in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, who reportedly suffered a serious hip injury after falling from her bed.
Despite the strength of the tremors, there were no immediate reports of major structural damage. However, the earthquake caused temporary disruption to transportation and other infrastructure in parts of the region.
Several rail services experienced delays following the quake. Express trains connecting Tokyo and Narita Airport, along with some local services in northeastern areas, were affected. Shinkansen bullet train services, however, continued to operate normally, according to East Japan Railway Co.
Infrastructure damage was also reported in Tokyo. An underground water pipe ruptured in Koto Ward, sending water onto a roadway. Repair workers subsequently fixed the damaged section and stopped the leak.
The earthquake also temporarily disrupted electricity supplies to hundreds of homes in Tokyo. Power was later restored, according to local authorities.
Japan's government moved quickly to assess the situation and coordinate emergency measures. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on social media that the government had established a task force to evaluate the extent of any damage and oversee the response.
Authorities also conducted checks at nuclear power plants and facilities handling nuclear materials. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said it had received no reports of abnormalities at nuclear facilities following the earthquake.
The JMA warned residents to remain cautious about possible aftershocks and said monitoring would continue. Officials urged people to remain alert, particularly in areas where objects may have shifted or infrastructure could have been weakened.
The latest tremor comes only weeks after a much stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan's southern island of Kyushu. That quake reportedly killed 38 people, injured 364 others, destroyed more than 1,500 buildings and caused damage to nearly 20,000 additional structures.
Japan is among the world's most earthquake-prone countries because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where several major tectonic plates converge. Frequent seismic activity has led the country to develop sophisticated earthquake early-warning systems, strict construction standards and extensive disaster-response mechanisms.
For Sunday's earthquake, the JMA confirmed that no tsunami threat was generated, providing relief to residents across the affected coastal areas as authorities continued to monitor aftershocks and assess damage.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
