TOKYO — A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, which was home to one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters almost a decade ago.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck at 11:08 p.m. local time (9:08 a.m. ET) at a depth of 36 miles. Five aftershocks were felt, it said, adding that a tsunami warning has not been issued.
The quake was felt in Japan’s capital, Tokyo. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference that almost 800,000 people had been left without power in parts of the city and another 90,000 in other areas of Japan.
Fukushima became synonymous with nuclear disaster in March 2011 when the area was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake — the strongest in Japan’s history. A tsunami soon followed, leaving more than 15,000 people dead and 2,500 others still missing.
The deadly wall of water slammed through the walls of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, knocking out the power supply and causing three nuclear reactors to melt, spewing radioactive particles into the air. It will take decades to completely shut down the plant.
Space to store the 1 million tons of water — equal to 400 Olympic-size swimming pools — that must be pumped through the reactor to keep the fuel cool is also running out. While the water has been treated to remove most of the most dangerous radioactive components, traces of tritium remain.
Kato said the plant was being inspected but there was “no concern of a damage-causing tsunami” and “no anomalies” had been reported at the plant. Investigations were continuing to make sure there was no structural damage, he added.
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The Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the plant, also tweeted that it had checked its facilities and “no abnormalities” had been detected.
In a sign of rebirth, Fukushima had been due to host parts of the Summer Olympics set to take place in Japan in 2020. However, the games were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo and Adela Suliman from London.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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