Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits western Japan, no tsunami warnings yet

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits Japan, epicentre between Kyushu and Shikoku islands.

Updated on: Apr 17, 2024, 21:04:57 IST

By HT News Desk

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A magnitude 6.3 earthquake jolted Japan on Wednesday. The quake's epicentre was located in a channel between Kyushu and Shikoku islands, approximately 18 kilometres west of Uwajima, with a depth of about 25 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

No tsunami warnings were issued and there have been no reports of damage so far.

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Impact on nuclear plant?

The operator of the Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime prefecture, where one reactor is currently functioning, stated that there were no irregularities, according to reports from public broadcaster NHK.

ALSO READ- Snake spotted inside bullet train in Japan, service delayed by 17 minutes

Frequent earthquakes in Japan

Japan, known for its high seismic activity, frequently experiences earthquakes, accounting for approximately one-fifth of all earthquakes worldwide with a magnitude of 6 or higher.

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The country faced a major disaster on March 11, 2011, when the northeast coast was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in Japan, followed by a massive tsunami. These events led to the worst nuclear crisis since Chornobyl, occurring twenty-five years earlier.

(Inputs from Reuters and AP)

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