5.9-Magnitude Quake Strikes Ibaraki, Shakes Tokyo, Five Injured

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan early Sunday, shaking Tokyo and surrounding areas and injuring at least five people, officials said. There was no tsunami threat following the quake.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake occurred in southern Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of about 70 kilometres. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said at least five people were injured in Ibaraki, Chiba and Saitama prefectures, northeast of Tokyo. Authorities were investigating reports of additional injuries and assessing the extent of damage.

The earthquake triggered emergency alerts on mobile phones and was strongly felt across Tokyo. In the capital's eastern Koto Ward, an underground water pipe ruptured, sending water onto a road, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The quake also caused temporary power outages affecting around 460 homes in Tokyo, although electricity was restored later Sunday morning, according to TEPCO Power Grid.

Transport services were disrupted, with delays reported on express trains connecting Tokyo with Narita Airport and on local services in northeastern areas. However, Shinkansen bullet trains continued operating normally, East Japan Railway Company said.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had established a task force to assess possible damage and coordinate the response.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at around a dozen nuclear power plants and other facilities handling nuclear materials.

The earthquake comes after a magnitude 7.1 quake struck Kumamoto in southern Japan last month, killing 38 people and injuring 364. More than 1,500 buildings were destroyed and nearly 20,000 others damaged in that disaster.

Japan, one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, regularly experiences seismic activity because it lies along several tectonic plate boundaries.