An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 has hit off the coast of eastern Japan on Saturday 23:13 JMT (14:13 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 60 km (36 miles), the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued.
A liquor shop’s manager clears the damaged bottles following an earthquake in Fukushima, northeastern Japan.
(AP)
Top government spokesperson Katsnunobu Kato has stated that at least 950,000 homes were without power as of midnight JMT (15:00 GMT).
The Japan Times is reporting that several residents of Fukushima and Miyagi were taken to hospitals, but there have yet been no reports of any serious injuries or deaths.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV said the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant is still being checked for any problems, and there that there were no immediate reports of irregularities from other nuclear plants in the area.
The quake comes close to the 10 year anniversary of the 2011 Fukushima earthquake which triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato (R) rushes into the prime minister official residence after a strong earthquake hit northeastern Japan
(EPA)
The 2011 earthquake lasted for six minutes and reached a magnitude of 9.0–9.1. The quake triggered a tsunami that reached heights of up to 40.5 meters.
The quake, considered the largest in the history of Japan and the fourth largest in the world, resulted in 15,899 deaths and 6157 additional injuries.
The National Police Agency of Japan on 10 September stated the quake completely demolished 121,778 buildings.
