M6.2 quake hits Japan's Hokkaido, no tsunami warning issued
A quake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck Japan's Hokkaido on Monday, but the country's weather agency issued no tsunami warning and ruled out links to an ongoing advisory about the risk of a powerful quake occurring in the region, Kyodo reports.
The 5:23 a.m. quake registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the Tokachi region of the northern main island and occurred at a depth of about 83 kilometers, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Upper 5 is described as the level at which people find it difficult to walk without holding on to something.
No abnormalities were observed at the Tomari nuclear power plant, according to Hokkaido Electric Power Co.
Some local train services in Hokkaido along the Pacific Ocean suspended operations but the Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet trains were running as usual, JR Hokkaido said.
The quake came in the middle of a weeklong advisory by the weather agency warning of an increased risk of a powerful quake following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the northeastern Japanese prefecture of Aomori exactly a week earlier.
Hokkaido is among the seven areas where caution has been advised.
"We are doing all we can to gather information on the extent of damage and provide adequate updates to the public," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X, urging caution about quakes of a similar scale. The government set up a liaison office to respond to the latest quake.
The earthquake's magnitude was initially estimated to be 6.1 but was later revised up.
A powerful quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 struck northeast and northern Japan last Monday, with a tsunami warning issued, the country's weather agency said.
