By
The Associated Press
TOKYO - An earthquake hit parts of central Japan late yesterday, injuring four people, just hours after a smaller quake struck off the southwest coast of the country. There were no immediate reports of serious damage from either temblor.
The more powerful quake, with a magnitude of 5.3, was centered in Shizuoka prefecture (state), about 95 miles west of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said. The quake shattered windows and caused some water pipes to burst, but there was no danger of tsunami, or undersea waves triggered by volcanic activity or earthquakes.
Those injured included a 72-year-old woman who fractured her hand after being jolted out of bed and a 52-year-old woman who was pinned under a chest that fell over, said local police spokesman Moriyuki Oishi.
Train lines and highways in the surrounding prefecture were temporarily closed to inspect for damage, but nuclear power plants continued operating normally, public television network NHK reported.
Earlier, a 4.9-magnitude earthquake shook Hiroshima and neighboring areas. That tremor was strong enough to shake houses and topple vases.
The agency placed the epicenter of the first quake 42 miles under the sea, 12 miles off the coast of Yamaguchi prefecture in southwestern Japan. Yamaguchi lies to the west of Hiroshima.
A strong earthquake shook Hiroshima and surrounding areas on March 24, killing two people and injuring nearly 200. A total of 7,122 buildings in southwestern Japan sustained some damage in that temblor.
Japan is one of the world's most earthquake prone nations as it sits atop four tectonic plates, slabs of land that move across the earth's surface.
