A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted western and southern Japan on Monday, injuring at least eight people and disrupting transportation.
The focus was 87 miles below the earth’s surface in Oita prefecture on Kyushu island, about 500 miles southwest of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The quake halted some local rail services, while bullet trains were forced to run at reduced speed as safety checks were conducted, public broadcaster NHK said.
Major cities to feel the full effect included Hiroshima, the target of the world’s first atomic bomb attack and the site of car manufacturing plants owned by Mazda Motor Corp.
At least eight people were injured, including two who suffered head injuries, a 77-year-old woman who dislocated her shoulder after falling from her bed and an 82-year-old woman who broke her leg while walking her dog, Kyodo news agency reported.
Nuclear power plants and oil refineries were operating normally after the tremor, company officials said.
The earthquake, which struck at 5:01 a.m (2001 GMT), measured “lower 5” on the seven-point Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion. A quake with that reading can damage roads and less earthquake-resistant buildings.
No tsunami warning was issued.
Lesser temblor in Hokkaido
About three hours later, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 struck the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The May 27 earthquake that killed more than 5,700 people on the Indonesian island of Java had a magnitude of 6.3.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 3,000.
That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.2 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.