Strong quake strikes eastern Japan
A strong earthquake measuring up to lower 5, the fifth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, struck eastern Japan on Wednesday morning, Jiji Press reports.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a quake with an estimated magnitude of 5.0 occurred at a depth of roughly 50 kilometers in southern Ibaraki Prefecture at around 10:06 a.m.
The temblor registered lower 5 in the city of Moka in neighboring Tochigi Prefecture.
East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, briefly suspended service on its Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations for safety checks. Operation resumed at 10:18 a.m., and trains were delayed by up to 15 minutes.
Earlier, Qazinform reported another earthquake measuring 5.1 magnitude rattled Zhetysu region, striking 50 km northwest of Zharkent town, following a 4.4 magnitude quake that shocked the region on Tuesday morning.
