Powerful undersea earthquake strikes near Japan’s destroyed Fukushima nuclear site; no tsunami threat
Saturday’s earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.3, had an epicenter off the coast at a depth of 60 kilometers (30 miles) the Japan Meteorological Agency said, adding there was no risk of a tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the preliminary magnitude at 7.1.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company said more than 830,000 homes had lost power in the Kanto region around Tokyo. It said crews did not detect radiation leaks or other abnormalities at the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. There were also no reports of irregularities at the Tokai nuclear plant north of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK said.
Government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said about 950,000 homes were without power. The government has set up a crisis management unit, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga instructed crews to survey damage and conduct any needed rescue missions.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, which lies close to the Ring of Fire, a region around the Pacific Rim where the earth’s tectonic plates meet. But residents of Tokyo said this was the strongest quake they had experienced in years, possibly even since the 2011 quake.
Berger reported from Washington. Julia Mio Inuma in Tokyo contributed to this report.
