Japan has been struck by a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake.
The inland quake struck 11 miles west of the small town of Sarabetsu on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido at a depth of 50 miles at 5.23am local time (9.23pm on Sunday, BST).
So far, Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued no warning of a tsunami.
And authorities have not yet reported any casualties or damage caused by the quake.
It comes just a week after a massive 7.7 magnitude tremor sparked a tsunami and prompted Japan to issue an advisory of a possible megaquake.
The JMA said this morning’s quake was outside of the area subject to a megaquake advisory and that the special awareness week is set to end as planned.
Last week’s tremor’ epicentre was in the Pacific Ocean, and was six miles deep.
It was strong enough to shake large buildings as far as Tokyo, hundreds of miles away, while aerial footage showed huge waves dominating the shorelines of Japan.
Footage taken from inside a cafe in Japan showed signs and hanging lights swaying side to side.
Japan has been struck by a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake (File image)
Another clip showed the light from an ornate chandelier rapidly flashing while the ornamental piece of lighting swayed.
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Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’.
The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world’s earthquakes.
The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth’s surface at which they strike.
In 2011, a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
In 2024, the JMA issued its first special advisory of a possible ‘megaquake’ along the Nankai Trough.
This nearly 500-mile-long undersea trench is where the Philippine Sea oceanic tectonic plate is ‘subducting’ – or slowly slipping – underneath the continental plate that Japan sits atop.
The government has said a quake in the Nankai Trough and subsequent tsunami could kill as many as 298,000 people and cause up to $2 trillion in damage.
Massive waves were seen consuming vast swathes of Japan’s coastline last week
The JMA lifted the 2024 advisory after a week but it led to panic-buying of staples like rice and prompted holidaymakers to cancel hotel reservations.
It issued a week-long second ‘megaquake’ advisory in December 2025 after a magnitude-7.5 tremor struck off the northern coast.
The December 8 quake triggered tsunami waves of up to 28 inches and injured more than 40 people, but no major damage was reported.
More to follow.
