Meanwhile, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan shortly after back-to-back quakes shook Venezuela, according to the United States Geological Survey.
No major damage was reported immediately but Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed her government to “urgently assess the extent of damage” to provide emergency disater response.
“There is no concern of tsunami from this earthquake. At this time, there are no reports of casualties, but we will continue to assess the extent of the damage,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said, adding that nuclear facilities have not reported abnormalities.
The quake struck an area 35 kilometers northeast of Kuji at a depth of 51.7 kilometers.
The East Japan Railway Company, known as JR East, suspended services of its bullet trains between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori, the northern tip of Japan’s main island.
