Magnitude 5.9 earthquake in southern Ibaraki injures at least 37 people

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture at 2 a.m. on Sunday, injuring at least 37 people across the Tokyo metropolitan area and neighbouring prefectures.

The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded the epicentre at a depth of 68 kilometres. Maximum intensity reached lower 5 on the Japanese scale in Omitama in Ibaraki, Kawaguchi in Saitama, Urayasu in Chiba and Adachi Ward in Tokyo. Shaking was felt from the Tohoku region to the Kinki region.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, 15 people were injured in Tokyo and 22 in Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa. One woman in her 80s in Yokohama suffered a serious back injury after falling from bed. No fatalities were reported.

Partial ceiling collapse occurred at Ushiku City Hall in Ibaraki. Railway services across the capital region faced delays and suspensions through the morning. No tsunami threat was issued.

The agency warned that aftershocks of similar intensity remain possible for about a week, with elevated risk in the first two to three days. Residents in areas that experienced strong shaking were advised to watch for rockfalls and landslides.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed officials to gather damage information and keep the public informed. The quake was a reverse-fault event on the boundary between the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates.

Japan sits on multiple tectonic boundaries and experiences frequent moderate earthquakes. This event, while not among the strongest, disrupted morning transport and left a measurable injury tally across a densely populated corridor.