Strong earthquake jolts northern JapanFebruary 17, 2015 - 10:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 jolted northern Japan on Tuesday, Feb 17, hours after an earlier quake triggered evacuation warnings in towns along the coast, Reuters reported. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries. Japan's public broadcaster NHK showed live video footage which showed strong shaking in Aomori prefecture, some 700 kilometers (430 miles) north of Tokyo. The quake was measured at depth of about 50 km (30 miles) on the northeastern coast. Small waves were reported along the northern coast after an earlier quake forced thousands of residents to evacuate towns closest to the epicenter. Towns along the northeastern coast of Japan were leveled in a devastating quake and tsunami in March 2011. That disaster struck the Fukushima Daiichi plant, 220 km (130 miles) northeast of Tokyo, sparking triple nuclear meltdowns, forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee nearby towns and contaminating water, food and air. Tohoku Electric Power Co, which operates the Onagawa and Higashidori nuclear plants in nearby Miyagi and Aomori prefectures, told NHK it found no irregularities at the facilities after Tuesday's quake. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | EU, EAEU are incompatible, Russia tells Armenia The arrival of extra-regional players in Armenia “will have consequences,” Russian Deputy PM Alexei Overchuk has said. Armenia top European Youth Team Chess Championships after Round 4 The Armenian national team top the standings at the European Youth Team Chess Championships 2024 on the Greek island of Rhodes. GAIFF: Tarsem Singh to preside over Regional Competition jury Tarsem Singh is perhaps best known to Armenian audiences as the author behind Lady Gaga’s 911 music video, inspired by the aesthetics of Sergei Parajanov. ICRC reps visit Armenians held in Azerbaijan The staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross have visited Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians currently being held in Azerbaijan. |