A structure falls due to an earthquake in Koorimachi, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan. Photo / AP
A structure falls due to an earthquake in Koorimachi, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan. Photo / AP
All Black Beauden Barrett has experienced his first big earthquake in Japan after a massive shake rocked Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas. There was no threat of a tsunami, officials said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the magnitude 7.3 quake was centered about 37 miles beneath the ocean. The same area was slammed by a tsunami, quake and nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato said there was no danger of a tsunami, although some trains had stopped running and hundreds of thousands of homes were without power.
"That was a big earthquake Japan," the New Zealand and Blues first-five tweeted a few minutes after the jolt.
Barrett is currently on a New Zealand Rugby sabbatical with Japanese Top League side Suntory Sungoliath, based in Fuchū, Tokyo.
Barrett flew to Japan following the All Blacks' final test of 2020 against Argentina in November and was later reunited with his wife Hannah and baby daughter Billie.
The start of the Top League season has been postponed due to a rise in Covid-19 cases in Japan. Barrett is set to make his debut later this month.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said there were no irregularities at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which experienced meltdowns following a massive quake and tsunami 10 years ago.
Video from public broadcaster NHK TV showed some pieces of a building wall had broken off and fallen to the ground, and pieces of glass were scattered at a store. Items fell off shelves because of the shaking, NHK said. NHK aerial footage showed a portion of a highway blocked by a landslide in Soma, a city in Fukushima prefecture.
A liquor shop's manager clears the damaged bottles following an earthquake in Fukushima, northeastern Japan. Photo / AP
The extent of damage from the landslide was not immediately clear, Kato said.
He said there were several reports of minor injuries from the quake, such as a man getting hit by a falling object.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered about 55 kilometre (34 miles) beneath the ocean, changing it from the earlier estimate for 60 kilometres (37 miles).
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga headed into his office immediately after reports of the quake, and a crisis centre was set up there. He said there were no reports of major injuries.
"We will continue to respond, putting human lives first," Suga told reporters early Sunday.
The shaking was felt in Tokyo, to the southwest.
The same northeastern area was slammed by a quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in March 2011. Experts warned of aftershocks over the next several days, including possibly larger quakes.
Some people were taking shelter at evacuation centers, and were being warned to practice social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic.
