Japan was hit by a strong, magnitude 6.7 earthquake on Thursday, which struck just off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan at about 12:30 p.m. local time. Though the lunchtime tremor caught numerous Japanese residents by surprise, no tsunami warnings nor incidents of major structural damage have been reported as of writing, according to USA Today.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has stated that the epicenter of the fairly strong quake was located at a depth of 51 kilometers (32 miles) southeast of Shizunai.
Forty-five-year old Haru Matsutakeya, who resides in Hokkaido's capital of Sapporo, stated that the earthquake was quite strong. Working in a facility that caters to the disabled, she said that an alarm on her cell phone sounded moments before the earthquake struck, reports The Post.
"It was pretty strong. It went on about 40 seconds," she said.
Due to the tremors, the New Chitose Airport and the main airport in Hokkaido were temporarily shut down as officials inspected the runways. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that nuclear power stations across the region were reported to have exhibited no abnormalities as a result of the earthquake.
The Tohoku train service south of the region was also temporarily suspended immediately after the earthquake. Finding no damage to the area's railways as a result of the earthquake, railway services have since resumed, according to Accuweather.
Hokkaido police have reported that at least two people have sustained minor injuries due to the earthquake.
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