Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Shakes Central Japan, Shattering Shop Windows and Injuring at Least 22
The pre-dawn Sunday tremor in Shizuoka was strongest in Aichi, hurt at least 22 people and slowed bullet trains. Japan's weather agency warned of aftershocks for the week ahead.
Sunday, November 8, 2026/2 min read
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake woke central Japan at 1:04 a.m. on Sunday, shattering shop windows, spilling books from shelves and injuring at least 22 people, the Korea Times reported, citing local media. No deaths had been reported by Sunday evening.
The Japan Meteorological Agency put the magnitude at 5.7. The US Geological Survey measured it at 5.5. The quake was centred in western Shizuoka Prefecture at a depth of about 40 kilometres, with the strongest shaking in neighbouring Aichi.
Where was the earthquake and how strong was it?
The strongest reading was upper 5 on Japan's seven-level intensity scale in Chita City, Aichi, according to Time News, which said it was the first upper 5 in Aichi since March 1997. The same report said western Shizuoka also recorded upper 5, which it described as the first there since records began in 1919. Lower 5 was measured in parts of Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu and Nagano, and tremors were felt as far as Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Mie and Shiga. They were not felt in Tokyo.
How many people were hurt and what was damaged?
Most of the injured were hurt by falling objects or broken glass, and many fell on stairs while hurrying out of buildings. Aichi fire departments logged at least 16 injuries and Shizuoka fire and police at least four, Time News said. In Toyota City a man in his 40s and a woman in her 80s hit their heads and were taken to hospital, conscious.
Glass lay scattered across streets, a bookstore's books were thrown from its shelves, and windows were broken at an imported-car dealership in Toyohashi. Water gushed from manholes and some areas lost their water supply. XAB, summarising Kyodo and Associated Press reporting, said no anomalies were found at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka.
What happened to the Shinkansen and local trains?
JR Central slowed the Tokaido Shinkansen between Shizuoka and Gifu-Hashima for safety checks, and local lines were suspended from the first train for track inspections. Voice of Emirates reported delays and disruption on parts of the network, and XAB said full bullet-train service had resumed by noon.
Could there be more shaking in central Japan this week?
The meteorological agency warned that strong aftershocks, around upper 5, are possible over the coming week, especially in the first two or three days, and told residents to watch for landslides, falling rocks and rain. No tsunami threat was reported.
It also said the quake struck within the projected focal area of a Nankai Trough earthquake but is believed to differ from the huge event that scientists expect there one day, and it saw no change on the plate boundary. A quake of this size is common in Japan and rarely leads to anything larger. The agency's advice for the next few days is the usual one: secure furniture and know the way out.
Published in The Outspoken Digest
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