Strong quake shakes central TokyoMay 25, 2015 - 17:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A powerful earthquake shook central Tokyo on Monday afternoon, causing temporary suspension of the area’s train system and the runways at one of the capital’s airports, according to the Wall Street Journal. The magnitude 5.5 quake—centered on the northern part of Saitama prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, and 56 kilometers (35 miles) below ground—struck at 2:28 pm local time (0528 GMT), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It measured a lower 5 on Japan’s earthquake scale in southern Ibaraki prefecture northeast of Tokyo. The scale has a highest reading of 7. There was no danger of tsunami, the agency said, according to the Journal. Still, there could be aftershocks of up to level 4 on the intensity scale over the next week, an agency official said at a news conference. No aftershocks had been detected as of 0620 GMT, he added. The official also warned of the possibility of falling rocks and landslides in areas where there had been strong shaking. No serious injuries have been reported. Narita International Airport temporarily closed its two runways following the quake but resumed operations at around 0540 GMT, national broadcaster NHK said. Haneda airport, located closer to the center of Tokyo, was operating flights as scheduled. Some shinkansen bullet-train services and Tokyo subways were temporarily suspended, but restarted after about 10 minutes, NHK said. There were no reports of irregularities at Japan Atomic Power Co.’s idled Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant in southern Ibaraki, and no changes in radiation levels near the site, the broadcaster said. Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant that was crippled in the devastating March 2011 earthquake, said it found no damage to its power plants from Monday’s quake. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |