Strong Earthquake Jolts Western Japan, No Tsunami Risk Reported

TOKYO: A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck Japan’s western Chugoku region on Tuesday, triggering a series of aftershocks, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

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The agency said the epicentre was located in eastern Shimane prefecture and confirmed that there was no threat of a tsunami following the quake.

Chugoku Electric Power Company, which operates the Shimane Nuclear Power Station about 32 kilometres from the epicentre, said operations at its No. 2 reactor continued normally. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority also reported no abnormalities at nuclear facilities in the affected area.

The Shimane plant’s No. 2 unit was restarted in December 2024, marking its first operation since Japan shut down all nuclear reactors after the Fukushima disaster in March 2011.

The earthquake registered an upper-5 seismic intensity on Japan’s seven-point scale, a level strong enough to make standing or moving difficult without support.

Japan is among the world’s most seismically active countries, accounting for nearly 20% of all earthquakes of magnitude six or higher globally.

Following the tremor, West Japan Railway temporarily suspended Shinkansen bullet train services between Shin-Osaka and Hakata as a safety precaution.