6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Tokyo; No Irregularities Reported At Fukushima

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Izu Islands off Japan Wednesday morning, and it was felt some 400 miles away in Tokyo.

Reuters reports that buildings shook throughout the metropolis, though there are no reports of injuries or serious damage as a result of the earthquake, which occurred at 9:18 a.m. local time, approximately 250 miles below the surface of the earth and 390 miles from Tokyo.

Currently, there is some debate over the exact size of the earthquake. Preliminary reports from Japanese broadcaster NHK put the earthquake at 6.9 magnitude, though the United States Geological Survey has rated the earthquake a 6.5 magnitude.

According to Reuters, there is no threat of a tsunami affecting Japan’s east coast, and no warning has been issued by the Japanese government.

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake off Japan’s east coast spawned a tsunami that devastated a large stretch of coast, killed 16,000 people and caused meltdowns at the Fukushimia nuclear plant. In recent weeks, radiation-contaminated water has been leaking from holding tanks and vastly increased radiation around the area. Shortly before the earthquake, Reuters announced that radiation levels at Fukushima had reached their highest point at 2,200 milisieverts, enough to kill an unprotected human in hours.

Soon after the earthquake, Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc. (TYO:9501), or Tepco, reported that there were no irregularities on the scene.