5.9 quake hits Japan, injures 5, train services disrupted

5.9 magnitude quake hits Japan, 5 injured; blackouts in 460 homes in Tokyo, express train services hitEarthquake. (representational photo)A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 rattled eastern Japan, including the Tokyo area, early Sunday, injuring at least five people, causing blackouts and disrupting train services. Officials said there was no danger of a tsunami.The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake occurred in southern Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of 70 kilometres, in an area of Japan prone to frequent earthquakes.The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) recorded a magnitude of 5.8 and said the earthquake struck near the east coast of Honshu at a depth of 78 kilometres (48.47 miles). The United States Geological Survey also recorded a preliminary magnitude of 5.8.The Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) said at least five people suffered injuries in Ibaraki, Chiba and Saitama prefectures, northeast of Tokyo. The agency said more people were injured and officials were investigating the details. The earthquake caused delays to express trains serving Tokyo and Narita Airport as well as other local trains serving northeastern regions. However, Shinkansen bullet trains continued to operate normally, according to their operator, East Japan Railway Company.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X that the government had set up a task force to assess the extent of possible damage. The earthquake triggered emergency quake alerts on mobile phones and significantly shook Tokyo. NHK public television showed traffic moving seemingly normally on roads in nearby cities, including Mito and Saitama.An underground water pipe ruptured in Tokyo's eastern ward of Koto, sending water pouring onto the road, according to footage aired by NHK.The earthquake also caused blackouts affecting about 460 homes in Tokyo. TEPCO Power Grid said it restored power by later Sunday morning.The Nuclear Regulation Authority said it received no reports of anomalies from about a dozen nuclear power plants and other facilities that handle nuclear materials.The earthquake comes a month after a magnitude 7.1 quake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu. That earthquake killed 38 people and injured 364 others. It also destroyed more than 1,500 buildings and damaged nearly 20,000 others.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Aug 23, 2026 06:54 IST