Magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits central Japan leaving 22 injured

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan early Sunday morning, injuring at least 22 people and breaking shop windows across a wide area. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded the tremor at 1:04 a.m. local time, originating about 40 kilometres below the surface in Shizuoka Prefecture. The US Geological Survey put the preliminary reading at 5.5.

Impact

The shaking affected regions near Aichi Prefecture, where official assessments showed the worst damage. Tremors reached Hamamatsu, the former capitals of Kyoto and Nara, as well as Gifu and Yamanashi prefectures near Mount Fuji, though Tokyo did not feel the impact. Television broadcasts showed glass scattered across streets from smashed shop windows and piles of books thrown off shelves in a local bookshop. At least 22 people sustained injuries, with some falling on stairwells while trying to evacuate buildings. As a safety precaution, Shinkansen bullet trains operated at reduced speeds across the affected zones to check for potential track damage.

Official Warnings

Ayataka Ebita, an official of the Japan Meteorological Agency, advised the public to watch out for falling rocks, mudslides, and rain damage. Authorities have urged residents to prepare for more strong tremors over the coming week, particularly within the next two to three days, while smaller aftershocks continue to follow the main quake. Ebita added that monitoring shows no clear changes so far in the nearby Nankai Trough plate, where scientists have long warned a major megaquake could eventually occur.

Context

Japan is located in one of the world's most seismically active regions, making earthquakes a frequent occurrence for its population. Disaster preparedness is a routine part of daily life in the country, with authorities regularly advising households to keep emergency supplies like food, water, and batteries ready. Infrastructure such as high-speed rail networks is also specifically engineered with automatic safety slowdowns to mitigate disaster risks during sudden tremors.