A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Shimane and Tottori prefectures on Tuesday morning, registering strong 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale. No tsunami threat was reported, but authorities urged residents to prepare for aftershocks. The government is assessing damage from the quakes.
On Tuesday morning at around 10:18 a.m., a magnitude 6.2 earthquake with a depth of 10 kilometers struck eastern Shimane Prefecture, registering strong 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale in Matsue and Yasugi in Shimane, as well as Sakaiminato, Hino and Kofu in Tottori. The shaking was felt across wide areas of western Japan, prompting early warning alerts on televisions and mobile phones.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, by 11:40 a.m., 10 aftershocks had followed, including a magnitude 5.1 quake around 10:30 a.m. that measured weak 5 in Yasugi. No tsunami threat was issued.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters, “The government will make every effort to appropriately respond to the disaster,” and a dedicated office was set up at the Prime Minister’s Office Crisis Management Center. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara reported that, as of 11 a.m., nuclear power plants in the region, including Chugoku Electric Power Co.'s facility in Shimane, were unaffected.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force announced it would conduct damage assessments in the affected areas. A power outage caused by the quake led JR West to suspend Sanyo Shinkansen services between Hiroshima and Okayama, with operations expected to resume at 1 p.m. Local trains also faced delays. News footage captured swaying power lines and shaking buildings, with reporters in the region wearing hard hats.
This is the strongest earthquake to hit Japan so far this year. It follows a magnitude 7.5 quake in Aomori Prefecture in December that caused injuries, and the magnitude 7.6 Noto Peninsula quake on January 1, 2024, which resulted in 698 deaths and widespread destruction.
