Hokkaido 5.9 Quake; No Tsunami Threat

An earthquake struck off eastern Hokkaido early Saturday, centered southeast of the Nemuro Peninsula, with the Japan Meteorological Agency reporting a preliminary magnitude of 5.9. The JMA said the temblor occurred around 1:40 a.m. JST at a depth of roughly 25 miles (about 40 km) and registered lower-5 intensity on Japan’s 0–7 seismic scale in parts of Hokkaido. The German Research Centre for Geosciences reported a lower magnitude of about 5.7–5.74 and a shallower depth near 10 km. Authorities issued emergency alerts, the central government established a liaison office to coordinate the response, and there have been no reports of major damage so far. Officials confirmed there was no tsunami threat, and experts note Japan’s dense seismic network enables rapid detection and frequent recording of such quakes.