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

Japan began applying a new numerical alcohol threshold for dangerous driving offenses on July 21, introducing a clearer standard for cases involving impaired driving that could lead to fatal accidents.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government approved its first annual basic economic and fiscal policy on Tuesday, pledging "responsible and proactive fiscal policy" and envisioning about 370 trillion yen in public- and private-sector investment in strategic industries through fiscal 2040.

A covert network of shuttle tankers is carrying crude through the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran disrupts shipping and raises concerns over how Japan will secure the oil it needs.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has criticized moves by Japanese and Ukrainian companies to cooperate on drone technology, warning that such ties would be regarded by Moscow as a "clear hostile act."

The rainy season ended in the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions on July 20 as strengthening high pressure brought intense heat across Japan, with temperatures forecast to reach 38 C in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, and Kofu.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A police officer fired a warning shot into the air after a 42-year-old woman approached officers while pointing a kitchen knife at them on a street in Eniwa, Hokkaido, on July 17.

A 45-year-old man was arrested early July 20 after allegedly crashing a passenger car into a convenience store in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and walking around the parking lot carrying a kitchen knife and a golf club.

A 42-year-old man was arrested after allegedly driving under the influence and intentionally ramming a motorcycle in Togitsu, Nagasaki Prefecture, leaving its rider seriously injured.

More than a dozen people were injured after a massive rope suddenly snapped during a tug-of-war at a festival in Kitami, Hokkaido, sending participants falling backward onto an asphalt road.

A public housing complex in Aichi Prefecture where about 70% of households are occupied by foreign residents is showing signs of improvement after introducing multilingual communication, foreign-led neighborhood activities and a 3,000-yen fine for residents who skip community cleaning duties.

A fire that broke out at the long-established Echigo Tsurukame sake brewery in a densely populated residential district of Niigata City on July 19 destroyed the brewery and spread to at least six nearby homes, with firefighters still unable to declare the blaze fully extinguished by noon on July 20.

Two people found dead in a collapsed home following a landslide in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, have been identified as a married couple in their 60s who lived at the property, city officials said.

Bacteria found in excrement on the uniform of a former nurse arrested on suspicion of killing a hospital patient by contaminating his intravenous drip matched bacteria detected in the victim's blood, investigators have found.