Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake Shakes Buildings In Tokyo

An earthquake preliminarily measured at 5.6 magnitude has hit off the Japanese coast, just north of Tokyo, Japanese national broadcaster NHK reports. Local news outlets say the quake was felt in the Saitama and Tokyo areas, with buildings swaying. Metro operations were briefly suspended on all routes in Tokyo, but services restarted four minutes later.

An elevator maintenance firm in Tokyo said several elevators stopped in the metropolitan area due to the quake with commuters asked to “use emergency buttons,” according to NHK. TASS news agency reports that books fell from shelves and furniture shook at its headquarters in Tokyo. READ MORE