TOKYO (AP) — Earthquakes struck again Monday morning in Japan’s north-central region of Ishikawa, which was still recovering from the devastation caused by a powerful earthquake on Jan. 1, but the latest quake caused only minor damage.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake at the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula was followed minutes later by a magnitude 4.8 earthquake and then several smaller earthquakes within the next two hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. There was no danger of a tsunami.
Two houses damaged in the January 1 earthquake collapsed in the city of Wajiima, but no injuries or other damage have been reported so far, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
JMA seismology and tsunami official Satoshi Harada said Monday’s earthquakes would be aftershocks of the magnitude 7.6 quake on Jan. 1. Seismic activity has since subsided somewhat, but Harada urged people to be careful, especially near buildings that were previously damaged.
Shinkansen super-express trains and other train services were temporarily suspended for safety checks, but most of them resumed, West Japan Railway Co said.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at two nearby nuclear power stations. One, the Shika plant on the Noto Peninsula, had minor damage, although officials said this did not affect the cooling functions of the two reactors.
Hokuriku Electric Power Co. said there were no power outages.
Monday’s rumblings have reignited fears among residents, who are still struggling to repair damage from the New Year’s quake. NHK public television showed a number of people emerging from their homes and temporary shelters to check for further damage.
“Many people who have been living in evacuation centers must have been afraid,” Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, urging caution against possible rock falls and landslides in areas that had suffered heavy shaking.
In the mountainous areas of the peninsula, reconstruction is coming slowly, and many damaged houses remain untouched.
In Wajima, one of the hardest-hit areas, an innkeeper told NHK that he immediately ducked under the counter at the reception when the first earthquake struck on Monday. Nothing fell to the ground or broke, but it reminded him of the January tremors and scared him that such a large earthquake had occurred even five months later.
The January 1 earthquake killed 260 people, including those who later died from stress, illness and other causes related to the earthquake. Three others are still missing, the FDMA said. There is still damage and more than 3,300 residents have still been evacuated.
