Powerful 7.8 quake strikes Japanese coast but experts say there won’t be tsunami

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Japanese coast Saturday, geologists said, shaking buildings in Tokyo and setting off car alarms. Despite the huge power of the quake, there was no risk of a tsunami, The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reported. Residential buildings swayed for around a minute as the quake built in intensity at around 8.30pm (1130 GMT). There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Initially a weaker quake hit and it stopped. Then the big one came. It was so strong that I couldn’t stand still and couldn’t walk.

Yoshiyuki Sasamoto, who runs a traditional guest house on Chichijima

Both runways at Narita Airport, the main international gateway to Tokyo, were temporarily closed while inspections were carried out. Trains in Tokyo were also temporarily halted and a football match in the city was briefly suspended. There were no reported abnormalities at any of the region’s mothballed nuclear power plants.

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