Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Off Japan’s Kanto Coast

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off Japan’s eastern Kanto coast on Friday, November 6. India’s National Centre for Seismology recorded the quake at 4.09 pm IST (7.39 pm in Japan), about 145 km from Choshi in Chiba prefecture. Japan’s initial earthquake bulletin also put the magnitude at 6.1.

The Indian agency put the depth at 40 km and located the epicentre at 35.087°N, 142.254°E. Japan’s initial bulletin gave a preliminary depth of 10 km.

Japan Forecasts Minor Sea-Level Changes

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami forecast for possible minor sea-level fluctuations along the eastern Kanto coast. It did not issue a tsunami advisory, tsunami warning or major tsunami warning. Destructive waves were not expected.

Coastal residents and maritime operators were urged to follow official updates. Details on how strongly the quake was felt on land and whether it caused any damage were still awaited at the time of the report.

Earlier Quakes in Ibaraki and Hokkaido

Friday’s offshore quake was separate from the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck southern Ibaraki prefecture in August. That quake originated about 68 km below the surface and registered a lower 5 on Japan’s seven-point shaking scale in parts of Ibaraki and central Tokyo. More than 40 people were injured in Tokyo and neighbouring prefectures, Kyodo News reported.

The Ibaraki quake delayed the start of some train services, while others ran at reduced speeds. Some Tobu Railway express services were halted, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced an emergency response task force to assess the impact.

A separate magnitude 6.0 quake struck off Hokkaido in August at a depth of 40 km. It registered a 4 on Japan’s shaking scale, and the weather agency issued no tsunami warning.

With inputs from ANI