Earthquake (5.9 magnitude) shakes N.E. Japan

 July 5, 2014

Aftershock from 2011 quake jolts northeast Japan

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140705_11.html

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 has jolted Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan. It's believed the quake is an aftershock of the massive temblor that hit the region in 2011.

The earthquake struck Miyako City at around 7:42 AM on Saturday.

The Meteorological Agency says its focus was 49 kilometers beneath the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Iwate Prefecture.

It says the quake measured 5-minus on Japan's intensity scale of zero to 7.

The quake registered an intensity of 4 in other cities in the region, including Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture.
The earthquake was also felt in wide areas from Hokkaido in the north to Kanto in the east and Niigata Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast.

The quake triggered no tsunami.

This was the first recorded earthquake with an intensity of minus-5 to hit Iwate Prefecture since a magnitude-7.3 quake struck on December 7, 2012.

Saturday's quake caused a power outage that temporarily suspended services of the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train.

Jul. 5, 2014 - Updated 01:31 UTC