Strong quake hits Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture, no major damage, Meteorological Agency says

TOKYO, June 19 (Bloomberg): An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 struck Japan’s western coastal prefecture of Ishikawa on Sunday, the Meteorological Agency said, adding there was no evidence it would trigger a tsunami.

The quake struck at 3:08 p.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Parts of the Noto Peninsula measured a lower 6 on Japan’s 7-point intensity scale, meaning it was powerful enough to wedge doors, topple furniture and loosen wall tiles, the agency said.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters in Tokyo that initial reports said no major damage was caused by the quake. He said he instructed the government to gather information, share it with the public and take emergency action.

Top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said he had received a report that the nuclear facilities were operating normally. The Shika Nuclear Power Plant, operated by Hokuriku Electric Power Co., is about 45 km southwest of the quake’s epicenter.

In the area covered by Hokuriku Electric, Kansai Electric Power Co., Tohoku Electric Power Co. and Electric Power Development Co., there have been no power outages due to the quake, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. There are no reports of damage to oil refineries, he added.

Bullet trains connecting Tokyo to Kanazawa in the Hokuriku region operated normally after the quake, national broadcaster NHK reported, citing operator East Japan Railway Co. – Bloomberg