Tokyo Earthquake 2014: Japan Suffers Few Injuries, Should Fukushima Fear A Tsunami?

Tokyo’s earthquake in 2014 shook Japan this morning, with the M6.2 magnitude tremors probably startling some people awake since it occurred at 5:18 AM local time. The good news is that the Japanese apparently were not effected much at all by this earthquake, with very few injuries reported so far. But could the tremors affect the Fukushima nuclear power plant at all?

In a related report by The Inquisitr, Tokyo’s earthquake in 2013 measured a mere M5.5 magnitude, which makes this most recent even more serious. The only good thing about all these earthquakes and volcanos along the Pacific ring of fire is that they have a tendency to form new islands for Japan.

The area where the earthquake occurred is along a fault line which is known to have regular earthquakes right near Oshima Island. In this case it is being described as a typical subduction earthquake where the Pacific oceanic plate glides below the continental plate and when the inter-continental energy becomes large enough the locked sections break apart and triggers an earthquake.

Fortunately, the epicenter of Tokyo’s earthquake was not even in Tokyo at all. It technically was offshore near the the south coast of Honshu, Japan, which is quite a good distance from the big city. There also were not any tsunami warnings and since the quake was also nowhere near the Fukushima nuclear power plant there should not be any danger related to the damaged power plant.

Also, if you’re still concerned about the leak from the Fukushima nuclear power plant then the good news is that a United Nations report claims we have little to fear from the radiation:

“The doses to the general public, both those incurred during the first year and estimated for their lifetimes, are generally low or very low. No discernible increased incidence of radiation-related health effects are expected among exposed members of the public or their descendants. The most important health effect is on mental and social well-being, related to the enormous impact of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, and the fear and stigma related to the perceived risk of exposure to ionizing radiation. Effects such as depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms have already been reported…. Increased rates of detection of [thyroid] nodules, cysts and cancers have been observed during the first round of screening; however, these are to be expected in view of the high detection efficiency [using modern high-efficiency ultrasonography]. Data from similar screening protocols in areas not affected by the accident imply that the apparent increased rates of detection among children in Fukushima Prefecture are unrelated to radiation exposure.”

Are you concerned that Tokyo’s earthquake may lead to aftershocks or a bigger one coming down the road?

Earthquake just rolled through Tokyo for about a straight minute. Wild. Around a 5 magnitude, it seems. Biggest I've ever felt here.

— John Mayer (@JohnMayer) May 4, 2014

Official number seems to be 6.2 magnitude. And epicenter very close to Tokyo.

— John Mayer (@JohnMayer) May 4, 2014