News On Japan

Magnitude 6.3 quake shakes central Japan

May 05, 2023 (NHK) - More details are coming in about an earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast.

Local authorities say a man in Suzu City has been confirmed dead following the quake. The man reportedly fell from a ladder.

The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning that another powerful earthquake could hit the region in the coming week.

The agency's Shimoyama Toshihiro said, "Please stay on alert for an earthquake that could reach an intensity of upper 6, especially in the next two or three days. There has been intermittent seismic activity in the area for more than two years, and it is expected to continue for the time being, so please remain vigilant."

The magnitude 6.5 quake struck around 2:42 p.m. on Friday, local time. The Meteorological Agency says the focus was 12 kilometers deep in the Noto region. It registered an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7 in the city of Suzu.

In the town of Noto, the quake registered an intensity of upper 5 on Japan's seismic scale, while the jolt recorded lower 5 in Wajima City.

The earthquake also registered an intensity of 4 in the city of Kanazawa and some municipalities in neighboring Niigata and Toyama prefectures.

Long tremors that could rock high-rise buildings have been recorded in Ishikawa. The class 3 tremors were felt in the city of Suzu. Experts say they can make it difficult for people to remain standing, and can topple furniture.

Japan's Meteorological Agency calls this type of shaking "long-period ground motion." It affects people on higher floors.

Police in Suzu City say they have received information that a temple in the city and multiple buildings have collapsed. Authorities are trying to confirm the details.

...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Western and eastern Japan face a prolonged risk of heavy rain into next week as Typhoon No. 24, a tropical depression and the autumn rain front combine to bring increasingly unstable weather across a wide area, with the typhoon currently located over waters northwest of Okinawa's main island after weakening considerably and losing much of its clearly defined circulation.

A late former professor at Asahikawa Medical University has won the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine for scientifically examining the proper way to blow the nose, extending Japan's streak of Ig Nobel winners to 20 consecutive years.

Night trains are making a comeback across Japan, with railway operators introducing new overnight services and even experimenting with overnight Shinkansen trains as demand grows for alternatives that combine transportation, accommodation and the experience of traveling through the night.

Bear sightings and attacks have been reported across Japan throughout the summer, with animals damaging sheds, attacking livestock and injuring people, while experts warn that autumn is the most dangerous season as bears expand their range in search of food.

Japan's Environment Ministry will conduct its first survey of animal cafes, where customers can interact with animals including exotic species, as concerns grow over infection risks, injuries and the welfare burden placed on animals.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Young people recruited into illegal "dark part-time jobs" through social media and friends are increasingly becoming involved in fraud and violent robberies across Japan, with interviews at a juvenile training school revealing how the promise of easy money, a desire for recognition and fear of criminal groups can gradually leave them feeling unable to escape.

Tokyo police are investigating the possibility of a serial arson spree after six suspicious fires were reported within about two weeks in the same neighborhood of Adachi Ward, leaving an 81-year-old woman with burns and damaging homes, political party posters, a vending machine and a bicycle.

A 52-year-old restaurant operator was sentenced to 17 years in prison on September 4 for killing his former girlfriend by repeatedly stabbing her in the abdomen and back with two kitchen knives at his home in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture.

A Chinese man who received a suspended prison sentence and had his driver's license revoked after striking four elementary school students while driving drunk in 2025 admitted at his first trial on September 3 that he repeatedly drove without a license while still on probation.

The Imperial Household Agency is considering holding a significantly scaled-down funeral for former Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, reflecting his wishes to minimize disruption to the lives of the public.

A 17-year-old high school girl was arrested in Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, on September 2 after allegedly stabbing her 49-year-old father in the neck with scissors during an altercation at their home, with the father later dying at a hospital.

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of attempting to defraud a flood victim in Chiba Prefecture of 3.2 million yen by falsely claiming that his electrical breaker panel and flooring needed urgent repairs, in a type of scam that has surged nationwide in recent years.

A large fire that swept through a shopping district near Ise Jingu in Mie Prefecture was extinguished at 11 a.m. on September 2, about 44 hours after it broke out, after damaging 58 buildings across an area of approximately 4,300 square meters.