There is no link to the Nankai Trough earthquake seen after the earthquake in Shikoku

An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, a weak 6 on Japan's earthquake intensity scale, struck off the western coast of Shikoku Island on Wednesday evening, but authorities said it was not linked to a possible quake in the Nankai area.

There was no tsunami caused by the earthquake that occurred at 11:14 p.m., and reports indicated only minor injuries and damage.

The quake reached a magnitude of 6 – the third highest – in Ainan City, Ehime Prefecture, and Sukumo City, Kochi Prefecture. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 39 kilometers, and its epicenter was in the Bungo Channel, a strait separating the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.

Authorities said Thursday morning that the quake slightly injured nine people in Ehime, Kochi and Oita prefectures. They added that minor damage was reported in some areas, including broken water pipes, fallen street lights and a landslide on a national road, but no fires were reported in the aftermath of the quake.

Among the injured was a woman in her seventies in Ainan, who was taken to hospital after a fall, according to the local fire department.

No abnormalities have been detected at Shikoku Electric Power Company's Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.

The Meteorological Agency initially announced that the magnitude of the earthquake reached 6.4 degrees, but later revised the figure to 6.6 degrees.

The magnitude of 6.6 is below the 6.8 threshold that requires an investigation into any connection to the Nankai area quake, Satoshi Harada, head of the agency's earthquake and tsunami monitoring department, said at a news conference early Thursday. He added that although this earthquake does not meet the criteria for further study in this context, the agency will issue updates and convene expert teams as needed.

A national road was closed due to falling rocks on Thursday following a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, the previous day. | GG

Harada noted that seismic activity has remained high since the earthquake. The agency advised residents of the areas struck by the earthquake to be cautious of seismic activity and heavy rain during the next week or so, as the risk of house collapses and landslides increased in areas where the tremors were strong.

The quake has raised concerns about the possibility of an upcoming earthquake in the Nankai Trough, which typically occurs every 100-150 years, with the last quake occurring 70 years ago.

The Nankai Basin, which extends from the Tokai region to the eastern shore of Kyushu, is a hotbed of geological stress as the oceanic plate subducts beneath the continental plate, causing pressure to build up at the boundary. Major earthquakes and tsunamis are expected when this tension suddenly releases.

“This earthquake was caused by the shift of a fault within the plate, which is deeper than the boundary between the two plates,” Harada explained at the conference.

“At this point, we cannot say whether the probability of an earthquake in the Nankai area has increased or decreased due to this event,” he said. The agency will continue to monitor the area closely.

Relatively large earthquakes have occurred in the past near the Bongo Channel, including a maximum magnitude 5 earthquake in Oita Prefecture in July 2015.

According to NHK, this is the first time since 1996, when Japan's current earthquake intensity scale was introduced, that a tremor with a magnitude of 6 or higher has been observed in Ehime and Kochi prefectures.

For those not used to large earthquakes, Wednesday night was a big shock.

In the town of Ainan, where the quake registered a weak magnitude of 6, the impact was clearly felt in a local store. Several cups of noodles and bottles of sake fell from the shelves. The employee described the ordeal, saying: “It suddenly started shaking, and then my cell phone earthquake alarm went off. It felt like the shaking continued for a long time, but I managed to hold on by holding on to my desk.”

In a nearby Japanese-style bar owned by Keiichi Fujisawa (50 years old), the earthquake caused dishes to fall from the shelves. “This was the largest earthquake I have ever experienced,” he said. “I need to reorganize to ensure nothing dangerous falls next time.”

In Seiyo City, also located in Ehime Prefecture, the earthquake's strength was recorded at a weak 5.0. In one of the restaurants there, four customers ducked under tables to take cover. The owner, a woman in her eighties, expressed her shock. “It reminded me of the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. I received several calls to check on me to make sure I was safe.”

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