Earthquake hits central Japan, injuring more than 20 people

More than 20 individuals have been injured after a robust earthquake shook central Japan, shattering store windows and sending individuals fleeing buildings, according to local media and authorities.

Key points

• More than 20 individuals were injured in the Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, the Kyodo news agency cited authorities as saying.
• It connects Tokyo and Osaka, were delayed between Shizuoka and Gifu-Hashima stations after safety checks, rail operator JR Central remarked.
• Some of the injured had fallen on the stairs as they tried to flee, the Associated Press news agency documented.
• "Please be on the lookout for mudslides, falling rocks and the possible effects from rainfall, " agency official Ayataka Ebita remarked to journalists.
• While the Shinkansen bullet trains were running at slower speeds in affected areas as a precautionary measure, some local train services were suspended.

For context, the magnitude 5.7 quake struck at 1: 04am local time on Sunday (16: 00 GMT Saturday) at a depth of regarding 40km (25 miles) in western Shizuoka Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

In practice, a wide area near Aichi Prefecture was affected, including the city of Hamamatsu, the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara, and the prefectures of Yamanashi, where Mount Fuji is located, and Gifu. No tsunami warning was issued, Kyodo documented.

For context, the quake was not felt in Tokyo. It is far from the epicentre.

Japanese television indicated shattered shop windows and shards of glass scattered throughout streets. A bookstore was left with mounds of books that had fallen from the shelves.

Meanwhile, the meteorological agency cautioned residents to be ready for feasible robust quakes in the coming week, especially the next two to three days.

He remarked no apparent change had been detected so far in the Nankai Trough, an underwater ocean trench where two major tectonic plates meet under parts of Japan, where scientists say a megaquake could occur.

Trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen line. It connects Tokyo and Osaka, were delayed between Shizuoka and Gifu-Hashima stations after safety checks, rail operator JR Central remarked.

In short, earthquake hits central Japan, injuring more than 20 people is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.