A magnitude-8.5 earthquake struck west of the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo on Saturday evening, jolting wide parts of the Kanto region and causing moderate tremors in many parts of the archipelago, the Meteorological Agency said.
No tsunami warning was issued by the agency, and no injuries or major damage were immediately reported by local authorities in the Ogasawara chain.
The quake, which measured upper-5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, occurred at 8:24 p.m. at a depth of 590 km below the seabed, the agency said. Given the depth of the epicenter, slow lateral vibrations continued for about a minute in Tokyo.
On Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara chain, communities experienced powerful jolts. NHK quoted Yoshiyuki Sasamoto, who runs a local inn, as saying thing started to fall from shelves as the tremors continued.
Following the quake, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said no damage had been reported at its Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power stations.
East Japan Railway Co. suspended operations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line as well as the Yamanote Line and other rail routes in Tokyo for safety checks. NHK footage showed many people stranded at major hub stations, including Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.
Some lines later resumed operation after safety was confirmed. Haneda airport in Tokyo temporarily closed its runways for safety checks but resumed services within an hour. (Kyodo, Staff Report)
Link: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/30/national/m8-5-quake-rocks-ogasawara-islands-jolting-tokyo-and-wider-kanto-area/#.VWm2rM-qqkp
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