Western Japan struck by strong earthquakes, no tsunami

Strong earthquakes struck western Japan Tuesday morning, with no tsunami threat reported. The Japan Meteorological Agency said a magnitude 6.2 quake occurred at 10:18 a.m. in Tottori and Shimane prefectures, with the epicenter in eastern Shimane at a depth of 10 kilometers. A second quake of magnitude 5.1 struck the same area about 10 minutes later.

In the hardest-hit locations, including Sakaiminato City in Tottori and Matsue City in Shimane, tremors registered an intensity of upper five on Japan’s 0-to-7 scale, while in Yasugi City, Shimane, the intensity was lower five.

Officials urged residents to remain alert for further strong quakes over the next week, particularly in the coming two to three days, and warned of potential rain-related hazards such as landslides and falling rocks. The agency noted that this is the first earthquake of intensity upper five or higher in Tottori in 10 years.