5.3-magnitude earthquake jolts Japan's Hokkaido; is there tsunami warning?
What's the story
A 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook Japan's northern Hokkaido region on Monday, July 28, startling residents across several districts. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), however, confirmed there was no tsunami risk despite the strong tremors. The quake was felt in eastern Hidaka and southern Tokachi areas, where it registered a level four on Japan's seismic intensity scale.
Second tremor
Second earthquake of magnitude 4.5 rocks Japan's Tokara Islands
On July 8, an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 had rocked the coast of Japan's Tokara Islands at around 11:00am local time (02:00 GMT). The quake originated from a depth of about 30km. The tremor also registered a level four on the seismic intensity scale at Kusekijima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture's Toshima Village. However, like the Hokkaido quake, this one too posed no tsunami threat.
Aftershocks
Akusekijima was rocked by 2 more tremors overnight
Before that, the Tokara Islands were hit by another earthquake near Akusekijima on July 7, at 12:02pm. This quake also registered a level four on the seismic intensity scale. Akusekijima was then rocked by two more tremors overnight, one at 12:08am measuring four and another slightly stronger one at 12:12am, which registered five.
Earthquake frequency
Japan witnesses nearly 1,500 earthquakes annually
Japan has a population of approximately 125 million people and experiences nearly 1,500 earthquakes each year, which represents about 18% of the world's seismic activity. The country has a well-developed earthquake monitoring system in place through the JMA, which helps keep residents safe during such natural disasters by disseminating timely information and planning for disaster management.