Magnitude-5.3 Earthquake Shakes Tokyo and Eastern Japan

Tokyo and eastern Japan were struck by a magnitude-5.3 earthquake on Friday evening. The government received no reports of major damage from the quake, which had its epicenter in Kanagawa prefecture. Some train services were halted, but no tsunami alert or damage to key infrastructure was reported.

A magnitude-5.3 earthquake hit Tokyo and eastern parts of Japan on Friday evening, the government reported, a day after issuing a historic advisory warning of the risk of a massive earthquake in the country's western region.

Although the extent of the damage near the epicenter in Kanagawa prefecture remains unclear, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that there were no reports of significant destruction. The quake's epicenter was located in Kanagawa, south of Tokyo, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The affected area does not include the Pacific coastal zone known as the Nankai Trough, highlighted in Thursday's advisory about the risk of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 or higher. No tsunami alert was triggered, despite strong tremor warnings being issued across Tokyo, and the prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka.

Several train lines, including Central Japan Railway's Shinkansen high-speed rail services, ceased operations in regions near Tokyo and Kanagawa. NHK, the public broadcaster, reported no damage at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka or the thermal plants in Kanagawa.

(With inputs from agencies.)