A magnitude-5.8 earthquake struck eastern Japan on Saturday afternoon, shaking buildings in Tokyo and across the Ibaraki region, injuring at least 23 people, and disrupting train services across the capital.
The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter 4 kilometers north of Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, at a depth of 61 kilometers. It hit at 1 a.m. Sunday Manila time (5 p.m. Saturday Japan time). Japanese agencies reported the quake at magnitude 5.9. The tremor was felt widely across the Kanto region, including central Tokyo.
At least 23 people were injured, mostly from falls or being struck by objects, and train lines across the capital were halted temporarily as operators inspected tracks and infrastructure. No tsunami warning was issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology confirmed there was no tsunami threat to the Philippines.
East Japan Railway said some lines resumed service within hours, but delays rippled across the network Saturday evening. Authorities reported no major structural damage. The quake was the strongest to rattle the Tokyo area since a 5.5-magnitude tremor shook eastern Japan near Tokyo in June.
The Philippines sits on the same seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire. Earlier in the same weekend, a magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck southern Peru, and local officials continue to monitor Taal Volcano, which logged 74 earthquakes in a recent 24-hour window.
