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Earthquake information displayed on a monitor screen, photographed in Tokyo, Japan, on the 23rd. / Xinhua-Yonhap

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture, about 60 km northeast of Tokyo, Japan, at around 2 a.m. on the 23rd.

The quake's focal depth was about 68 km, and no tsunami was triggered.

According to local outlets including NHK and FNN, the earthquake produced strong shaking measuring lower 5 (upper 5 on the Japanese scale of 5) across the affected area as well as parts of Saitama, Chiba, and Tokyo prefectures.

On Japan's 10-level seismic intensity scale used by the Meteorological Agency, lower 5 is a level at which people walking may stagger, hanging objects such as ceiling lights swing significantly, and books can fall from shelves.

This marks the first time since the magnitude 5.9 earthquake in northwestern Chiba Prefecture on October 7, 2021, that intensity of lower 5 or higher was observed in Tokyo's central 23 wards.

Japan's Meteorological Agency urged caution over the possibility of aftershocks reaching up to intensity lower 5 over the coming week or so.

Southern Ibaraki Prefecture also experienced earthquakes reaching a maximum intensity of lower 5 in April and June of this year.

Professor Sakai Shinichi of the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute said southern Ibaraki is an area prone to frequent earthquakes, adding that because this quake occurred at a relatively deep location, the strong shaking was likely felt across a wide area.

In neighboring Chiba Prefecture, ground already weakened by recent record-breaking heavy rain and landslides raises the risk of renewed disaster, warranting caution.

                                                                                                            Kim Hyun-min