Magnitude 5.7 quake injures dozens in central Japan

A powerful 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Japan early Sunday, causing injuries, damage, and disruptions, according to official reports and local media accounts. The quake occurred at 1:04 am (1604 GMT Saturday) in Shizuoka Prefecture, located west of Tokyo. While no tsunami warning was issued, the tremor led to shattered storefront windows, falling merchandise, and minor injuries in several regions.

Emergency officials in Aichi reported receiving 16 accounts of injuries, with at least three women requiring emergency medical care, including a woman in her nineties who fell and injured her shoulder. Several news outlets, including the Chunichi Shimbun and Tokai Television, independently confirmed that at least 24 people were hurt across Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures.

In Toyohashi city, the quake damaged the windows of a car dealership, and a large bookstore in Toyota city reported merchandise falling from shelves. Train services, including the Shinkansen bullet trains, experienced temporary delays and suspensions due to the quake. While the shaking was felt as far west as Osaka, where a foreign resident required hospitalization after falling from a second-story apartment, no serious damage or injuries were immediately reported in the southwestern region, which is still recovering from a devastating 7.1-magnitude earthquake in July that claimed 38 lives and left tens of thousands without power.

Despite Japan's frequent seismic activity, caused by its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country remains haunted by the 2011 9.0-magnitude undersea quake, which triggered a tsunami that killed or left missing around 18,500 people and caused extensive damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant.