The earthquake occurred at around 11:14 pm. Local time, Ehime and Kochi prefectures on Shikoku island both recorded a magnitude less than 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, with the epicenter in the Bungo Channel, off Kyushu. and is a strait separating the islands of Shikoku. B. Xinhua News Agency reports.
Six people in Ehime Prefecture and one in Kochi Prefecture suffered minor injuries, while two people were injured in Oita Prefecture in the Kyushu region of southwestern Japan, according to prefectural governments and local fire departments.
Shikoku Electric Power said power output of the No. 3 reactor at the Ikata Nuclear Complex in Ehime Prefecture was reduced by two percent due to a valve fault, although there were no major problems with overall operation.
Meanwhile, Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun reported that Japanese researchers warned that aftershocks after the powerful quake could continue for another week and that people in the area should remain alert.
The area near the Bungo Channel has experienced earthquakes in the past that caused significant damage, according to Takuya Nishimura, a professor at Kyoto University's Disaster Prevention Research Institute who specializes in geodesy, which involves measuring the Earth's geometry.
"We need to prepare for earthquakes, bearing in mind that they will continue for the next week," the researcher warned.
Six people in Ehime Prefecture and one in Kochi Prefecture suffered minor injuries, while two people were injured in Oita Prefecture in the Kyushu region of southwestern Japan, according to prefectural governments and local fire departments.
Shikoku Electric Power said power output of the No. 3 reactor at the Ikata Nuclear Complex in Ehime Prefecture was reduced by two percent due to a valve fault, although there were no major problems with overall operation.
Meanwhile, Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun reported that Japanese researchers warned that aftershocks after the powerful quake could continue for another week and that people in the area should remain alert.
The area near the Bungo Channel has experienced earthquakes in the past that caused significant damage, according to Takuya Nishimura, a professor at Kyoto University's Disaster Prevention Research Institute who specializes in geodesy, which involves measuring the Earth's geometry.
"We need to prepare for earthquakes, bearing in mind that they will continue for the next week," the researcher warned.
