Strong quake strikes southwest of Tokyo

09:32, 11 August 2009

TOKYO. August 11. KAZINFORM A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 jolted eastern and central Japan early on Tuesday, throwing food and bottles from shop shelves and rattling houses across Tokyo, Kazinform refers to Trend News.

The focus of the 5:07 a.m. (2007 GMT, Monday) tremor was 20 km (12 miles) below the surface of Suruga Bay, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, in Shizuoka prefecture, around 150 km (90 miles) southwest of Tokyo. A tsunami of up to 60 cm (24 inches) was recorded along the Pacific coast.

Chubu Electric Power Co Inc <9502.T> suspended operations at its Hamaoka nuclear plant after the quake for safety checks.

Some highways were closed after electric signboards failed to operate and at least one train line was halted, NHK said.

"There are no reports of fire. Someone hurt their leg after a TV fell off a shelf and was taken to hospital," Kinichi Tashiro, a fire department official in Yaizu, Shizuoka, told NHK.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater, Kazinform cites Trend News. See www.news-en.trend.az for full version.

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