Major quakes hit Hokkaido, Kyushu

NHK -- Jul 02

Japan's Meteorological Agency says 2 major earthquakes have hit about an hour apart. One struck the northern island of Hokkaido and the other was in the southern island of Kyushu.

Agency officials say a magnitude 5.1 quake hit the central part of Hokkaido at 11:45 PM local time. Its depth was about 27 kilometers.

The tremor registered an intensity of 5-minus on the Japanese scale of zero to 7 in Abira Town, southeast of Sapporo City.

An intensity of 4 was registered nearby, including in the city of Sapporo.

There is a report that an elderly woman has suffered a minor injury.

About one hour later, another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

The quake registered an intensity of 5-minus in Ubuyama Village, an intensity of 4 in Aso City and Takamori Town.

Agency officials say the depth was 11 kilometers underground in the prefecture.

So far, there are no reports of damage.

Jul 02 (ANNnewsCH) - 1日夜遅くから2日未明にかけ、北海道と熊本県で相次いで最大震度5弱を観測する地震がありました。 1日午後11時45分ごろ、北海道安平町で震度5弱を観測する地震が起きました。震源の深さは27キロ、地震の規模を示すマグニチュードは5.1でした。