Tokyo, Jan 6: A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck the western Chugoku region of Japan on Tuesday, January 6, followed by a series of significant aftershocks, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The epicenter of the initial quake was located in eastern Shimane Prefecture. Fortunately, the agency confirmed there was no threat of a tsunami following the tremor.

Chugoku Electric Power, which operates the Shimane Nuclear Power Station approximately 20 miles from the epicenter, assured the public that operations at the plant's No. 2 unit were continuing as normal. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no irregularities in the nuclear facility's operations after the earthquake.

The Shimane No. 2 unit had restarted in December 2024, marking the first time since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011 that one of Japan's nuclear power plants resumed operation. The earthquake, which registered an upper-5 on Japan's 1-7 seismic scale, was strong enough to make movement difficult without support, but no major damages or safety issues have been reported so far.