An earthquake measuring magnitude 6.1 on the Richter Scale jolted the East Coast of Honshu in Japan on Thursday (April 4), National Centre for Seismology reported. However, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the magnitude of the tremor was 6.3 while the Japanese agency measured the magnitude at 6.0. As of now, no tsunami alert has been issued by the island nation, the news agency AFP reported citing a Japanese agency.
The tremors struck the island nation a day after a 7.7-magnitude quake hit Taiwan. The strongest tremors that have jolted Taiwan in 25 years have left at least nine people dead so far and over a thousand injured. The quake had its epicentre 18km (11 miles) south of Hualien. Read the full report here.
It is to be noted that the area is particularly vulnerable to tremors due to the tension accumulated from the interactions of two tectonic plates, the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which may lead to sudden releases in the form of earthquakes.
Japan, one of the world's most tectonically active countries, has stringent building codes that ensure structures can withstand even the most powerful earthquakes. Every year, the archipelago of about 125 million people experiences approximately 1,500 jolts, the vast majority mild.
Notably, the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011 began with a powerful earthquake off the northeastern coast of Honshu, which is Japan's main island. The disaster caused widespread damage on land and a series of large tsunami waves that wrecked many coastal areas of the country, including the Tōhoku region.