A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture early Tuesday, sending noticeable shaking through the greater Tokyo area and waking residents before sunrise.
The earthquake occurred at about 4:45 a.m. local time on September 29, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Its epicenter was in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, at a depth of roughly 50 kilometers. Xinhua reported the epicenter at 36.1 degrees north latitude and 139.9 degrees east longitude.
No tsunami advisory was issued following the quake, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Shaking felt across Ibaraki, Saitama and Tokyo
The strongest shaking reached level 4 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in several locations across Ibaraki and neighboring Saitama Prefecture. At that level, most people are startled by the movement and hanging objects can swing noticeably.
Tokyo experienced weaker but still clearly felt shaking, with parts of the capital recording an intensity of 3. That level is typically strong enough to be noticed by most people indoors.
Residents described being jolted awake by the early-morning tremor, while buildings in the capital were seen swaying. One report said the movement lasted for several seconds, while live webcam footage from Tokyo captured an initial jolt followed by swaying that continued for roughly 20 seconds.
No major disruption reported
Despite the widespread shaking, authorities did not report any major consequences in the immediate aftermath. Arab News Japan said there had been no reports of damage or injuries, while Xinhua confirmed that no tsunami advisory had been issued.
Japan’s seismic intensity scale measures how strongly an earthquake is felt at a specific location, rather than the overall energy released by the quake. That differs from magnitude, which measures the size of the earthquake itself.
Earthquakes are common in Japan because the country lies near the boundaries of several tectonic plates. The Tokyo region regularly experiences tremors of varying strength, with the level of shaking depending on factors such as the earthquake’s depth, location and magnitude.
Tuesday’s earthquake was strong enough to be felt across a broad part of the metropolitan region, but early reports indicated that it passed without serious damage.
