Earthquake hits Japan, injuring over 20 in Tokyo region

A moderate earthquake struck eastern Japan, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, early Sunday, injuring at least 23 people, mostly with minor injuries, officials said. There was no tsunami threat.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.9, with its epicenter in southern Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of about 70 kilometers (42 miles). The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.8.

Officials in four prefectures reported 23 injuries �" nine each in Saitama and Kanagawa, four in Chiba and one in Ibaraki.

Most of those injured fell or struck furniture or doors after being startled by the earthquake while sleeping and getting out of bed in panic, officials said. A woman in her 80s suffered a serious hip injury after falling from her bed in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.

A 23-year-old man told the Asahi newspaper that he felt a strong vertical jolt moments after receiving an earthquake alert while shopping at a discount store in Tokyo's Taito district. He said he became concerned that products might fall from high shelves as the building shook.

The earthquake disrupted express train services connecting Tokyo with Narita Airport, as well as some local train services in northeastern areas. However, Shinkansen bullet trains continued operating normally, East Japan Railway Co. said.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had established a task force to assess the extent of any damage.

The earthquake triggered emergency alerts on mobile phones and caused significant shaking in Tokyo. NHK public television showed traffic moving normally on roads in nearby cities, including Mito and Saitama.

An underground water pipe burst in Tokyo's eastern Koto Ward, sending water onto a roadway, according to NHK footage. The pipe was later repaired and the leak stopped.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were reported at about a dozen nuclear power plants and other facilities handling nuclear materials.

Last month, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island, killing 38 people and injuring 364.