Japan earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 injured some and destroyed buildings

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TOKYO (Reuters) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck on Friday off Ishikawa Prefecture in western Japan, Japanese authorities said, as some buildings collapsed and some people were injured, media reported.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told an emergency news conference that one person had suffered cardiac arrest after the quake, but gave no further details.

Matsuno added that no abnormalities have been reported at the Shika Nuclear Power Plant in the area, or at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in neighboring Niigata Prefecture.

Japan’s meteorological authorities revised the quake’s intensity to 6.5 from an initial 6.3, and warned of aftershocks, although they issued no tsunami warning.

“Large earthquakes may occur, especially in the next three days,” said an official at the Meteorological Agency, adding that the quake was followed by tremors.

He urged residents of the quake-stricken areas to watch for about a week in case of more events with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher on the Japanese scale, which is as high as 7.

Matsuno said the government has set up an earthquake response center headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“Prime Minister Kishida has ordered us to do everything we can for relief and rescue,” he added.

“We will take any necessary action, depending on the damage and the impact of the earthquake,” Matsuno said when asked if the quake would affect Kishida’s plans to visit South Korea from Sunday.

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