A 7.1 magnitude earthquake has been detected 60km off the coast of Fukushima on Saturday. While no tsunami warning has been issued, those near coastal areas have been advised to move to higher ground as a precaution, The Japan Times reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency states, “Although there may be slight sea-level changes in coastal regions/ this earthquake has caused no damage to Japan.”
An operator from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant said no abnormality had been found at the plant, Kyodo News reported.
The US Geological Survey recorded an earthquake off the east coast of Japan at 37.686°N 141.992°E.
Fukushima prefecture was where the 2011 nuclear disaster took place, after a tsunami triggered by an earthquake slammed into the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, causing three nuclear meltodowns and the evacuation of over 1.5 lakh residents.
Saturday’s earthquake comes just three weeks before the ten-year anniversary of the nuclear disaster on March 11. While the nuclear accident itself caused no casualties, it led to a greater opposition to nuclear power in Japan and caused billions of dollars of losses. By 2012, Japan was generating no nuclear power at all after it shut down several reactors. Following stricter safety standards, Japan has been gradually restarting its reactors across the country.
Saturday’s earthquake comes amid reports of tremors across the world: Armenia experienced a moderate 4.7 magnitude earthquake that shook the capital city of Yerevan on Satuday, parts of North India experienced tremors on Friday, while Australia issued a tsunami warning (later retracted for New Zealand) on Thursday after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami.
Blackouts have been reported across the Tokyo area, with around 950,000 homes without power according to the Japanese government, Kyodo News reported. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has instructed the government to survey the quake damage.