Earthquake rattles southwest Japan, no damage reported

An earthquake shook southwestern Japan on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of damage and a tsunami watch was lifted within an hour.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake measured a preliminary magnitude 5.0, rattling the Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kumamoto areas in the southwest of the main island of Kyushu.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said an emergency team was set up to check on any damage.

The two nuclear plants in the area had been confirmed as operating regularly, but Kumamoto airport was temporarily shut down and bullet train services were halted, Suga told reporters. After quakes, tracks and runways are checked for safety.

National broadcaster NHK TV warned people to stay calm and watch against dangers such as shaking, mudslides and items falling from shelves, as well as aftershocks.

TV news footage showed that traffic lights and other lights the buildings were working, and pedestrians on city streets were walking about as usual.

Japan is one of the most earthquake- and tsunami-prone areas in the world.

Kyushu was struck by a series of earthquake in 2016, which smashed homes, warped roads and damaged a castle in the area, leaving nine people dead and more than 800 injured. Thousands of people were evacuated.

In 2011, the northeastern area of Fukushima was hit by a quake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

———

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en