M5.7 Quake Shakes Central Japan, at Least 24 Hurt

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring at least 24 people in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, according to a local tally reported by Chunichi Shimbun.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake occurred at 1:04 a.m. Sunday, November 8, with its epicenter in western Shizuoka Prefecture. Its provisional depth was revised to 41 kilometers from an initial estimate of about 40 kilometers.

The strongest shaking reached upper 5 on Japan's seismic-intensity scale in Chita, Aichi Prefecture. That measures the strength of shaking at a location and is separate from the earthquake's magnitude. Lower-5 shaking was recorded in other parts of central Japan.

JMA said there was no tsunami risk. It warned people in strongly shaken areas to watch for rockfalls, landslides and further earthquakes, particularly over the next several days.

Chunichi reported at least 24 injuries as of 9 a.m. local time: 21 in Aichi and three in Shizuoka. Many involved falls or falling objects. A large window at a car dealership in Toyohashi shattered, and some rail services were disrupted while operators made safety checks.

JMA said the quake occurred within the expected Nankai Trough source region but that its size did not indicate a special change in the locking of the plate boundary. The agency said it would continue monitoring seismic activity and crustal movement.