An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 hit the western Chugoku region of Japan on Tuesday, followed by a series of sizeable aftershocks, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The epicentre of the first earthquake was in eastern Shimane prefecture, the agency said, adding that there was no danger of a tsunami.
Chugoku Electric Power, which runs the Shimane Nuclear Power Station about 32 km away, said operations were continuing as usual at its No.2 unit. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said there were no irregularities following the quake.
The plant's No.2 unit restarted in December 2024 for the first time since all of Japan's nuclear power plants were shut down in the aftermath of the March 2011 disasters in Fukushima.
The earthquake had a seismic intensity of upper-5 on Japan's 1-7 scale, strong enough to make movement difficult without support.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about one-fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
West Japan Railway said it had suspended Shinkansen bullet-train operations between Shin-Osaka and Hakata following the quake.
France is working with partners on a plan on how to respond should the US act on its threat to take over Greenland, a minister said on Wednesday, as Europe sought to address US President Donald Trump's ambitions in the region.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that much progress had been made in restoring trust with Beijing, and that he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a role in mediating Seoul's efforts to engage North Korea.
Australia’s south sweltered through a brutal heatwave on Wednesday that delivered temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in some cities, triggering health warnings, straining power grids and causing bushfires to flare.
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the Philippines' southern islands on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The UAE Government has approved a comprehensive package of updated federal laws aimed at strengthening agricultural and veterinary quarantine systems, protecting new plant varieties, and regulating the international trade in endangered animals and plants.
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