Earthquake strikes southwest of Tokyo

A new earthquake struck Japan late Tuesday just southwest of Tokyo, leaving at least two people injured and sparking power failures. 

REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake in the city of Shizuoka at a magnitude of 6.0. It was preceded a few minutes earlier by a 5.8-magnitude tremor, according to the US Geological Survey. The earthquake comes four days after the massive tremor and tsunami that have devastated Japan’s northeast coast.

Due to the quake, power was cut to large portions of Shizuoka and all high-speed rail service was suspended.

The two nuclear reactors located in the area continued to function normally, an operator at Chubu Electric Power told Jiji Press.

The Shizuoka prefecture, located near Mount Fuji, is an area particularly prone to earthquakes. Shizuoka is approximately 120 kilometres from Tokyo.