Late on Wednesday, southern Japan experienced a significant earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4, reported the Japan Meteorological Agency. Fortunately, no tsunami warning was issued following the seismic event.
The epicenter of the earthquake was identified in the Bungo Channel, a strait that separates the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. Regions including Ehime and Kochi prefectures felt the quake with an intensity of 6 on Japan's 1-7 scale, as per the JMA.
Although some water pipes burst, local media noted that there were no major damages reported from the earthquake. Additionally, Japan's government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi assured the public that Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime prefecture, which operates one reactor, detected no irregularities.
Hayashi further cautioned about the possibility of additional earthquakes with a lower intensity of six on the Japanese seismic scale.
Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, being one of the most seismically active regions globally. The country experiences approximately one-fifth of the world's earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher.
The devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, which struck Japan's northeast coast with a magnitude of 9, remain etched in memory. This catastrophe, the strongest recorded earthquake in Japan, triggered a massive tsunami and led to the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.
