Second Earthquake Hits Japan: Magnitude 6.1 Shakes East Coast of Honshu
Japan was rocked by another earthquake today, with a magnitude of 6.1 striking the East Coast of Honshu on April 4th.
The quake, hitting one of the most seismically active regions globally, prompted concerns due to Japan's history of earthquakes. However, Japan's stringent building standards aim to ensure that structures can endure even significant tremors, providing some reassurance to the country's approximately 125 million inhabitants. Despite Japan experiencing around 1,500 earthquakes annually, most are minor and do not cause significant damage.
Japan, one of the world's most tectonically active countries, has strict building standards designed to ensure structures can withstand even the most powerful earthquakes. The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, experiences around 1,500 jolts every year, the vast majority of which are mild.
The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude of Thursday's quake at 6.1, with a depth of 40.1 kilometres.
It comes a day after at least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured by a powerful earthquake in Taiwan.
Wednesday's magnitude-7.4 quake damaged dozens of buildings in Taiwan and prompted tsunami warnings as far as Japan and the Philippines.
Japan's biggest earthquake on record was a massive magnitude-9.0 undersea jolt in March 2011 off Japan's northeast coast, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.
The 2011 catastrophe also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japan's worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
The total cost was estimated at 16.9 trillion yen ($112 billion), not including the hazardous decommissioning of the Fukushima facility, which is expected to take decades.
Earlier, Taiwan, another region accustomed to seismic activity, also faces the threat of earthquakes due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire." However, experts note that Taiwan's robust earthquake preparedness has helped mitigate the impact on its 23 million residents. Despite the risks posed by the Ring of Fire, Taiwan's focus on earthquake readiness has helped minimize casualties and damage.
Deadly Earthquake Strikes Taiwan: 1 Killed, Over 50 Injured