TOKYO – A magnitude 7.3 earthquake shook the coast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture on Saturday, making it home to one of the worst nuclear disasters in the world nearly a decade ago.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency said the quake – which initially had a magnitude of 7.1 – occurred at 23:08 local time (09:08 ET) at a depth of 34 miles. Fourteen aftershocks were recorded, and a tsunami alert was not issued.
The quake was also felt in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
“No deviations from any nuclear facilities have been reported,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. “Everything is normal.”
Investigations are still being conducted to determine the number of injured, and he has urged people not to venture out and to be prepared for aftershocks.
Earlier in Tokyo, Secretary-General Katsunobu Kato told a separate news conference that nearly 850,000 households had been left without power in areas around Tokyo and northern Japan.
“Where the quake is strongest, there is a greater risk of structural collapse and landslides,” a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told a Tokyo press. In addition, people should be careful with tremor.
Fukushima became synonymous with the nuclear disaster in March 2011 when the area was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake – the strongest in Japan’s history. A tsunami soon followed, killing more than 15,000 people and leaving 2,500 others missing.
The deadly wall of water struck through the walls of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which knocked out the power supply and caused three nuclear reactors to melt, spewing radioactive particles into the air. It will take decades to safely shut down the plant.
The space to store the 1 million tonnes of water – equivalent to 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools – that have to be pumped through the reactor to keep the fuel cool is also running low. While the water has been treated to remove most of the dangerous radioactive components, traces of tritium remain.
According to Kato, the plant was inspected, but there was “no concern about a tsunami causing damage” and “no deviations” were reported at the site. Investigation continued to make sure there was no structural damage, he added.
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The Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the plant, is also available tweeted that it checked its facilities and that “no deviations” were detected.
In a sign of rebirth, Fukushima was due to host parts of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan. However, the games were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most active areas. Japan is responsible for about 20 percent of world earthquakes of 6 or greater.
Arata Yamamoto reports from Tokyo and Adela Suliman from London.
Reuters contributed to this report.
