Two earthquakes hit eastern Japan within hours, with no tsunami threat

Two earthquakes struck eastern Japan within three hours early Thursday, shaking Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, but neither prompted a tsunami warning, Kyodo News reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The first quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, hit northeastern Chiba Prefecture at 4:13 a.m. local time. It originated at a depth of about 50 kilometres and registered an intensity of 4 on Japan’s seven-point seismic scale in Asahi city.

Tremors were also felt in neighbouring areas, including Ibaraki Prefecture.

A second earthquake, measuring magnitude 4.0, struck Ibaraki at 7:14 a.m. local time, at a depth of about 60 kilometres. It registered an intensity of 3 in Hitachiomiya, according to the agency.

The agency said neither earthquake generated a tsunami.

Several other earthquakes have recently struck the region. A magnitude 5.1 quake hit northeastern Chiba on Oct. 1, after a magnitude 4.9 tremor in eastern Japan on Sept. 29. A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the region on Aug. 23, injuring more than 40 people in Tokyo.