PEACE & RESPECT
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The Yomiuri Shimbun
Sunday's earthquake flattened a timber mill in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture
A powerful earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale hit the Hokuriku region at 9:42 a.m. Sunday, killing one woman, injuring 190 people and setting off small tsunami.
The earthquake caused tremors that registered an upper 6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 on Ishikawa Prefecture's Noto Peninsula--the first time an intensity of 6 or higher had been recorded in the prefecture, the Meteorological Agency said. Tremors of an intensity of more than 3 were recorded in wide areas of the Hokuriku, Tokai and Kinki regions.
Police said Kiyomi Miyakoshi, a 52-year-old woman in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, died after a stone lantern toppled on her at her home.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, 58 buildings were destroyed and 99 were severely damaged.
According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, 14 people were seriously injured by the earthquake.
The Meteorological Agency reported a 20-centimeter-high tsunami was observed just after 11 a.m. in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture. The agency warned residents in areas near the coast that larger tsunami could hit the area, but the warning was called off at 11:30 a.m. for coastal areas of Noto and Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture.
According to the agency, the epicenter of the earthquake was 30 kilometers off the coast southwest of Wajima, with the focus about 11 kilometers underground.
"There is a possibility of an earthquake measuring an upper 5 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 occurring in the coming week or so," said Takeshi Hachimine, the head of the Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami surveillance section, at a press conference.
Aftershocks jolted the region into the afternoon, with 142 tremors that could be felt by humans recorded as of 10 p.m.
The government set up a task force in the Prime Minister's Office at 9:45 a.m. and dispatched Kensei Mizote, state minister for disaster management, to the affected region. The Defense Ministry also set up a team to collect information about the damage.
Upon a request from Ishikawa Gov. Masanori Tanimoto, the Defense Ministry on Sunday dispatched about 280 personnel from the No. 14 Infantry Regiment of the Ground Self-Defense Force stationed in Kanazawa.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, more than 2,200 people were forced to take shelter at makeshift locations including a community center.
Traffic also was disrupted by the earthquake.
According to the Construction and Transport Ministry, Noto Airport in Wajima was closed Sunday because of cracks and bumps found in 14 places on its runway. All Nippon Airways Co. had its two return flights between Haneda and Noto airports canceled Sunday.
Repair work on the runway is underway, and flights are scheduled to return to normal Monday, provided no irregularities are found on the runway.
According to JR East and West Japan Railway Co., services on a section of track between Tsuruga and Naoetsu stations on the Hokuriku Line and several other railway lines were suspended, and some time would be needed before they can reopen.
According to the Ishikawa prefectural government, the supply of tap water was cut to 12,150 households in two cities, including Wajima. The Self-Defense Forces and local governments are using mobile water tanks to deliver water to three affected towns.
An intensity of upper 6 was recorded in Nanao, Wajima and Anamizumachi in Ishikawa Prefecture; lower 6 in Shikamachi, Nakanotomachi and Notocho in the prefecture; and upper 5 in Suzu.
An intensity of lower 5 was recorded in Toyama and Imizu in Toyama Prefecture, and Kariwamura, Niigata Prefecture, and 4 in northern Nagano Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture. An intensity of 3 was recorded in Yamagata, Fukushima, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Kyoto, Shiga, Osaka, Hyogo and Tottori prefectures, according to the agency.
Hokuriku Electric said the operation of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of its nuclear power plant in Shikamachi were not affected because both reactors had been suspended for inspections.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said all nuclear reactors in its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture were not affected by the earthquake and continued to operate as normal.
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Quake reached 945 gals
The powerful earthquake recorded a maximum acceleration of 945 gals at 9:42 a.m. in Shikamachi, Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention
The figure was higher than the 818 gals recorded by Kobe Marine Observatory in January 1995 when the Great Hanshin Earthquake devastated the Kansai region, an institute official said.
A gal is a unit of acceleration equivalent to one centimeter per second and is used to measure the intensity of vibration. It does not indicate the amplitude of vibration and is not directly linked to damage.
The October 2005 Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture registered a maximum acceleration of 2,515 gals in Kawaguchimachi in the prefecture.
The October 2000 tremor in western Tottori Prefecture recorded a maximum acceleration of 1,135 gals in Hinocho in the prefecture.
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