Japan warned of aftershocks after earthquake severs power and injures 150 people

A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late on Saturday -  Kyodo News
A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late on Saturday - Kyodo News

Residents of north-east Japan have been told to prepare for further aftershocks after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake on Saturday evening left more than 150 people injured, nearly a million homes without power and thousands more without water.

The quake also severed road and rail links, although authorities were quick to confirm that it had not triggered a tsunami and that none of Japan’s nuclear power plants have reported irregularities with their reactors.

The tremor, which struck at 11:07pm, is the largest to strike Japan since April 2011 and experts say they believe it was an aftershock of the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 9 and was the largest quake in recorded history in Japan.

Japan is preparing to mark the 10-year anniversary of that disaster, which triggered a series of tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, causing destruction across a vast swathe of north-east Japan, and the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.

A portion of a highway is blocked by a landslide  -  Kyodo News
A portion of a highway is blocked by a landslide - Kyodo News

The operator of the plant did confirm on Sunday, however, that water used to cool nuclear fuel in the pools at the plant did slosh over the edges of the tanks after the latest tremor.

It also said a number of leaks were reported from large tanks built in the grounds of the plant to hold water that is highly radioactive after being used to cool the reactors. Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Co. said there is no danger to the public as the leaks had all been contained.

The government announced on Sunday morning that it was mobilising the military, in response to a request for assistance from the governor of Fukushima Prefecture. Troops have been deployed to supply water to communities where pipes were damaged by the quake.

People are seen at a temporary evacuation centre using partition for social distancing - Reuters
People are seen at a temporary evacuation centre using partition for social distancing - Reuters

Of the injured, three people are reported to be in a serious condition, although none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.

The tremor was felt throughout eastern and northern Japan and left tall buildings in Tokyo swaying. The quake was even felt in the city of Hiroshima, more than 720 miles to the south.

The earthquake also triggered landslides in numerous parts of north-east Japan, cutting roads and “bullet train” railway lines. East Japan Railway Co. said it is likely to take days before its "shinkansen" trains are operating normally again.

A liquor shop's manager clears the damaged bottles  - Kyodo News
A liquor shop's manager clears the damaged bottles - Kyodo News

A number of smaller aftershocks were felt in the region on Sunday and the government has instructed the public to be prepared for more tremors in the days ahead. Some may be quite powerful, officials said.

Yoshihide Suga, the prime minister, called an emergency meeting of his cabinet on Sunday morning to assess the scale of the damage and reiterated the call for people to brace for more quakes.

“We want people to act quickly by not letting their guard down and paying close attention to information provided by local authorities”, he said, adding that aftershocks of magnitude 6 are expected over the next week or so.