2016 Fukushima earthquake


The 2016 Fukushima earthquake struck Japan with a moment magnitude of 6.9 east-southeast of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture at 05:59 JST on November 22, at a depth of. The shock had a maximum intensity of VII on the Mercalli scale. The earthquake was initially reported as a 7.3 magnitude by Japan Meteorological Agency, which was later upgraded to a 7.4, while the United States Geological Survey and GFZ Potsdam determined a magnitude of 6.9. It was reported to be an aftershock of the 2011 earthquake.
Fifteen people were injured during the earthquake; three of them were in critical condition. Minor damage was caused, with reports of fires. The Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant had one of its spent fuel cooling systems shut down briefly, though no measurable change in radiation levels was detected. A tsunami warning was issued with waves predicted up to, though actual waves were recorded between one and two meters in height.

Earthquake

The earthquake was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake which struck Japan east-southeast of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture at 05:59 JST on November 22, 2016, at a depth of. The earthquake was initially reported as having a magnitude of 7.3 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, who later upgraded the magnitude to 7.4, while the United States Geological Survey and GFZ Potsdam reported it as having a magnitude of 6.9 Mwb.
The shock had a maximum intensity of VII on the Mercalli scale and 5 lower on the JMA scale. The Japan Meteorological Agency stated it was an aftershock of the 2011 earthquake.

Tsunami

The Japanese authorities advised people from the coastal region of Fukushima to evacuate immediately due to a possible tsunami with waves of up to. Waves of up to a meter in height struck the Fukushima coast about an hour after the earthquake, and public broadcaster NHK reported the presence of a tsunami of at Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture.

Impact

Fifteen people were injured during the earthquake, including broken bones and cuts from falling objects, three of them seriously. Minor property damage was recorded. There was a fire at a research facility in Iwaki. A brief power outage was reported for about 1,900 houses. Local and express trains, including the Shinkansen, were out of service for time to allow for the tracks to be inspected.
The earthquake caused the third reactor's spent fuel cooling systems of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant to stop, though circulation was restored after about 100 minutes. The radiation levels were unchanged following the brief shutdown.
The Nikkei futures market in Japan was not significantly impacted.