Strong quake shakes northern Nagano Prefecture
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake, measuring an upper 5 on Japan’s shindo seismic intensity scale, struck northern Nagano Prefecture at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.There was no tsunami risk associated with the quake, the agency said. The epicenter was in the prefecture's northern area, striking at a depth of 10 kilometers.The quake registered an upper 5 in the city of Omachi and a lower 5 in the city of Nagano. An intensity of 4 was recorded in the village of Ogawa, while it registered a 3 in the city of Matsumoto.Another quake, this one registering a 3, hit in Omachi about two hours later around 3:30 p.m.In neighboring Niigata Prefecture, no abnormalities were detected at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said.Authorities warned of similar quakes continuing to hit the area, urging residents to be vigilant.
