M6.9 quake strikes northeastern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 struck northeastern Japan on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the weather agency said, Qazinform News Agency cites Kyodo.
The earthquake at 07:30 a.m. took place off the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of 50 kilometres. It registered an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Hashikami and a lower 6 in Hachinohe, both located in Aomori Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
According to the agency, an intensity above 6 makes it impossible to stand or move without crawling, and most loose furniture will shift, with objects toppling over.
The earthquake registered above magnitude 5 in Sannohe, Aomori Prefecture, as well as in Morioka and other areas of Iwate Prefecture. It also impacted Miyagi, Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima, Tokyo and its neighbouring prefectures.
JR East announced that Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services were suspended between Sendai and Shin-Aomori stations following the earthquake.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Willits, California, in the United States, on Wednesday morning.