M5.9 earthquake jolts Tokyo area

Oct 08, 2021 | News On Japan

Oct 08, 2021 (NHK) - A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Tokyo late on Thursday. It did not trigger a tsunami.

Meteorological Agency officials are warning of the possibility of quakes with a similar intensity over the next week or so.

The quake occurred at 10:41 p.m. Its focus was in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, at a depth of 75 kilometers.

The quake registered an intensity of 5 plus on Japan's seismic scale of zero to seven in Tokyo and Saitama.

The tremor was widely felt in and around the greater Tokyo area.

It disrupted public transit networks, stranding commuters who had been heading home.

The Chief Cabinet Secretary said more than a dozen people were injured, one of them seriously.

He said there are no reports of major blackouts, but many water leakages occurred due to broken water pipes.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio set up a crisis management task force at his office to oversee the government's response.

Authorities reported dozens of injuries in the Tokyo area.

They say there are no reports of major damage.

The earthquake affected public transportation in the greater Tokyo area.

Officials say one train derailed after making an emergency stop in Tokyo's Adachi ward and at least three people were injured.

Railway officials say service on bullet train lines was suspended but resumed.

People were lining up at many stations in Tokyo to catch taxis after some local lines were halted after the quake.

Part of a wall of a building in Ueno in northern Tokyo collapsed but no injuries were reported so far.

Police officials at the scene were asking people to stay away from damaged area.

NHK footage showed black smoke coming from a window of a house in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo.

No injuries have been reported so far.

Water pipes were ruptured in several affected places.

Water was seen gushing to nearby houses and sidewalks.

Officials say no abnormalities have been detected at nuclear-related facilities in Ibaraki and Kanagawa Prefectures near Tokyo.

Officials are warning residents to be cautious of structural damage that may have already occurred in the affected area.

Source: Kyodo

Toyota to Launch Self-Driving Taxis in 2027

Toyota Motor will begin operating fully autonomous taxis in 2027 through a partnership with U.S. self-driving technology company Waymo, marking a major step in the Japanese automaker's efforts to expand driverless transportation services.

Mount Fuji Puts on First Snowcap

Mount Fuji has received its first snowcap of the season, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced on October 30, after temperatures at the summit plunged to minus 9.4 degrees Celsius, marking the arrival of winter conditions on Japan's highest mountain.

Chinese Female Spy Suspected of Targeting Nvidia Chief

U.S. intelligence agencies suspect that a Chinese female intelligence operative developed a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in an attempt to obtain confidential corporate and U.S. government information, according to a report published by The New York Times on October 29th.

Japan Blocks Websites Leaking GMO Personal Data

The Japanese government has asked major telecommunications operators to forcibly block access to websites believed to contain personal information stolen in a cyberattack on GMO, it emerged on October 29th, as authorities moved to prevent further exposure of sensitive data online.

Typhoon No. 31 Heads Toward Japan's Remote Islands

Typhoon No. 31 was located near Minamitorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean, as of 3 a.m. on October 30, and was expected to approach the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo over the October 31-November 1 weekend while maintaining very strong intensity, bringing a growing risk of dangerously high waves, powerful swells and extremely rough seas.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Landlords Bear Financial Burden of Lonely Deaths

Japan's rapidly aging population is facing a growing crisis of elderly people dying alone at home, with grieving families sometimes unable to see their loved ones before burial and landlords increasingly forced to shoulder substantial cleanup and estate clearance costs when relatives abandon their inheritance.

Prison Inmates Help Preserve Japan's Traditional Crafts

Traditional Japanese crafts are finding an unexpected source of skilled workers in prisons across the country, where inmates are learning painstaking production techniques that build patience and concentration while helping preserve industries struggling with a shortage of craftspeople.

South Korean Man Arrested Over Killing of Japanese Woman Following Stock Crash

A Japanese woman in her 20s was found dead at an apartment complex in Cheonan, central South Korea, on October 29th, prompting police to detain a South Korean man in his 30s on suspicion of murder after he allegedly confessed to killing her because he had decided to commit suicide following stock market losses but could not bring himself to die alone.

Japan's Imperial Family Hosts Autumn Garden Party

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted the annual autumn garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo on October 29, welcoming approximately 1,400 guests, including actor Kotaro Yoshida and novelist Miyuki Miyabe, while female members of the Imperial Family attended in traditional Japanese attire.

Rescuers Save Paraglider Who Stopped Breathing

A 59-year-old water sports rental shop owner in Omachi, Nagano Prefecture, has received a letter of appreciation from police after rescuing a paraglider who plunged into a lake on September 21, pulling the unconscious man from the water and performing CPR after discovering he was no longer breathing.

Couple's Gardening Hobby Turns Out to Be Cannabis Cultivation

A married couple in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, have been arrested after police discovered cannabis plants growing in pots on the terrace of their home during a search connected to a separate investigation, authorities said on October 28th.

Elderly Woman Drives Along Railway Tracks, Ends in Tragedy

A woman in her 80s was killed after her car entered railway tracks on the Odakyu Enoshima Line in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, shortly before 10:30 p.m. on October 27, with security camera footage showing the vehicle traveling along the tracks, passing an oncoming train and stopping with its hazard lights flashing before being struck from behind by another train.

Teen Hospitalized After Electric Shock From Basketball Hoop

A teenage male was rushed to a hospital after suffering an electric shock while putting away a motorized basketball hoop at a gymnasium in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, in an accident believed to have been caused by an incompatible extension cord, according to a report on October 27th.

< 2 3 4 5 >