A strong earthquake struck western Japan on Tuesday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The quake hit Shimane Prefecture at 10:18 a.m. local time, registering a strong 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale. Officials confirmed there was no threat of a tsunami. A second tremor followed about 10 minutes later at 10:28 a.m., measuring magnitude 5.1 and registering a lower 5 on the intensity scale.
Magnitude revised by different agencies
The earthquake was initially reported as magnitude 6.3 before being revised by authorities.
The Japan Meteorological Agency later downgraded the quake to magnitude 6.2, while subsequent updates listed it as magnitude 4.5. Meanwhile, real-time data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the tremor at magnitude 5.8.
Local broadcaster NHK reported that the quake registered an upper-5 intensity on Japan’s 1–7 seismic scale in parts of the prefecture.
Recent quake follows last month’s major evacuation
The latest tremor comes barely a month after a powerful earthquake struck northeastern Japan, forcing the evacuation of at least 90,000 residents.
Japan remains highly alert to seismic activity, particularly following the devastating 9.0-magnitude undersea earthquake in 2011 that triggered a massive tsunami and left about 18,500 people dead or missing.
Fear of a future ‘megaquake’
In August 2024, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first special advisory warning of a potential “megaquake” along the Nankai Trough, an 800-kilometre undersea trench where the Philippine Sea tectonic plate is slipping beneath the continental plate supporting Japan.
Government estimates suggest a major quake in this zone, followed by a tsunami, could kill as many as 298,000 people and cause economic damage reaching $2 trillion.
Japan and the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’
Japan sits at the junction of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
The nation experiences roughly 1,500 tremors annually. While most are minor, the severity of damage depends on the quake’s depth and proximity to populated areas.
