Strong Quake Strikes Eastern Japan

Tokyo, April 1 (Jiji Press)–A strong earthquake measuring up to lower 5, the fifth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, struck eastern Japan on Wednesday morning. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake, with an estimated magnitude of 5.0, occurred around 10:06 a.m. at a depth of 48 kilometers in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, at a point above the Philippine Sea Plate, which sinks from south under the Kanto eastern region, including Tokyo. The agency advised people in areas where strong tremors were felt to be on alert for quakes of up to lower 5 in the coming week or so. Earthquakes are common in the southern part of Ibaraki, with temblors measuring lower 5 on the Japanese scale hitting the region once every few years. East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, briefly suspended service on its Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations for safety checks. Operation resumed at 10:18 a.m., and trains were delayed by up to 15 minutes. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]