Magnitude 5.7 earthquake in central Japan injures at least 22

A strong magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan overnight on 8 November, injuring at least 22 people in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake struck at 1:04 a.m. local time (00:04 Ulaanbaatar time) at a depth of about 40 km in western Shizuoka prefecture. The US Geological Survey put its magnitude at 5.5. The strongest shaking, upper 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, was recorded in Chita, Aichi prefecture, and the tremor was felt across a wide area including Nagoya and Hamamatsu.

The Chunichi Shimbun reported that as of 1 p.m. local time at least 22 people had been injured in Aichi and Shizuoka, most of them slightly, after falling on stairs while fleeing or being struck by falling objects. The Associated Press reported that shop windows were shattered and people fled buildings. No tsunami warning was issued, and Chubu Electric Power said no abnormalities were found at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka.

Al Jazeera reported that some local train services were suspended and Tokaido Shinkansen trains between Tokyo and Osaka ran at reduced speed. The meteorological agency warned that strong aftershocks are possible over the coming week, especially in the next two to three days, and urged residents to watch for landslides and falling rocks. It said no unusual change had been detected in the Nankai Trough.

Mongolian users shared news of the quake on X; some posts put the number of injured at at least 24, which differs from the figure reported by the outlets above.