A 6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes the Japanese island of Hokkaido

A strong earthquake struck the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido early Monday, according to American and Japanese observatories, and it is the latest in a series of strong earthquakes that the country has witnessed recently.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency reported that an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck the southern region of Hokkaido at 5.23 am (21.23 GMT Sunday), at a depth of 83 kilometers, after reviewing its initial estimate of the strength of the earthquake at 6.1 degrees.

No tsunami warning was issued, and the US Geological Survey expected the damage to be minimal due to the small population of the area.

But an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters that “in areas that witnessed strong tremors, the risk of rock falls and landslides has increased.”

Hours ago, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck at sea hundreds of kilometers south of Hokkaido.

These tremors come less than a week after the Japanese Meteorological Agency warned of the increasing risk of a huge earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 or stronger, following the recording of a 7.7-magnitude earthquake off the northern coast of Iwate Prefecture.

Six people were reported injured as a result of the earthquake that shook high-rise buildings in Tokyo, even though they were located hundreds of kilometers from its epicenter.

In addition, an 80-centimetre high tsunami hit one of the ports of Iwate, and the earthquake also caused small waves in other areas in northern Japan.

Afterwards, the Japanese agency warned that “the probability of a new huge earthquake occurring is relatively higher than in normal times.”