NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Japan on Saturday experienced a strong earthquake that shook buildings in the capital, Tokyo, about 400 kilometres from its epicenter, and triggered a one metre high tsunami warning for the country’s northeast coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey counted the intensity of the earthquake at 7.2 magnitude hitting the coast of Miyagi Prefecture at 6:26 p.m. (0926 GMT) and at a depth of 60 km. The USGS said the quake was centered 34 kilometers east of Ishinomaki, about 400 kms from Tokyo.
The Kyodo news agency said its epicenter was off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, which was heavily damaged during the huge earthquake and tsunami of 2011.
A public broadcaster said Tohoku Electric Power Co has halted the Onagawa nuclear plant and is checking for any irregularities.
Tokyo Electric Power said it is checking the condition of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power station that was wrecked by the massive March 2011 quake, which caused nuclear meltdowns and mass evacuations.
Some media showed footage with a plaque suspended from the ceiling shaking for about 30 seconds following the tremor. It did not report any items falling from shelves or any immediate damage.
(Manas Dasgupta)