Japan was hit by a second major earthquake this year on the Eastern Coast of Honshu on Thursday. Locals report say that though there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries after the quake, the epicentre which measured 6.0 had a depth of 40 kilometres (25 miles) ensuring the quake was also felt in Tokyo. The earthquake had caused concern because it came immediately after a major quake hit Taiwan killing nine people and injuring hundreds The Taiwan earthquake meant Okinawa, one of the smallest of Japan’s five islands suspending its flights. Tsunami warnings were reported in southern Japan and the Philippines, with even China reporting that ripples were felt as far as Shanghai.
Japan has already faced a major earthquake on New Year’s Day in the north-central region of Noto. The quake which measured 7.6 killed over 241 people while an estimated 9,000 people were rendered homeless. The country is known to be tectonically active and prone to earthquakes. The Japanese Meteorological Centre has stated in a tweet on X. “A series of large earthquakes occurred between Tuesday, April 2nd and today, Thursday, April 4th, with the maximum seismic intensity of 4 or higher being observed across Japan for three consecutive days. Both earthquakes occurred in areas that have a history of frequent earthquakes.”
According to the Japanese Meteorological Centre (JMC) there are an average of 1,500 earthquakes per year in the country with 20-30 of them reaching strong intensity levels. The buildings are thus constructed so it can withstand most earthquakes many of which are mild. Having said this, the country has also a record of the strongest quakes.
Japan’s biggest earthquake on record was a massive magnitude-9.0 undersea jolt in March 2011 off Japan’s northeast coast, which lasted about six minutes. The earthquake triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing. It also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl. The total cost was estimated at 16.9 trillion yen ($112 billion)
