An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook central Japan late Sunday evening.
According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA), the quake occurred at 6:31 a.m. (local time, 11:31 p.m. CEST). Its epicenter was on the Noto peninsula in central Japan. Initially, there were no reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
Japan is located in one of the most tectonically active areas in the world and has strict building standards to ensure that buildings can withstand strong earthquakes. The archipelago, with a population of around 125 million, is hit by around 1,500 tremors every year, most of which cause no damage. However, an earthquake on New Year’s Day on the Noto Peninsula killed more than 230 people.