AP News53%
A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off northern Japan. No tsunami warning is triggered 20%
By Mari Yamaguchi0%
6/24/2026, 10:55:00 PM
Topics: Earthquakes, Japan
BS Summary: This article contains 23 faulty reasoning types, including Negativity Bias, Appeal to Authority, and Availability Heuristic, with Anecdotal as the most egregious example at 34.4% saturation with 131 hits. Analysis detected 1,027 faulty-reasoning hits from 381 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 34.2% and a BS Rank of 20% (17,673 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 80.70% of the article peer group.
TOKYO (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck off the northern coast of Japan during rush hour on Thursday morning, but the country’s meteorological agency said there was no danger of a tsunami and no serious injuries were reported.
The temblor shook dozens of towns across northeastern Japan and was even mildly felt in the capital, Tokyo.
It hit in an area where strong earthquakes have repeatedly been reported in recent months, including one that triggered a weeklong mega-quake caution advisory in December.
In the town of Hashikami, a school principal recounted how her car shook sideways when the quake struck as she was driving to work.
Children already gathered at the school were safe, she said, though some were crying in fear.
The quake — off the eastern coast of the Iwate prefecture — had a magnitude of 7.2, upgraded from an initial reading of 6.9, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Its depth was about 50 kilometers (30 miles), the agency said.
The U.S.
Geological Survey also reported the quake, giving its magnitude as 6.9.
Nuclear power plants and facilities, including the Fukushima Daiichi plant which was damaged by the 2011 massive quake and tsunami, and a spent fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, have not reported any abnormalities from Thursday’s earthquake, government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said.
Japan, which sits on what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone areas.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that her government’s emergency team is “putting people’s lives first,” while assessing information and preparing for relief operations, if needed.
She urged residents in the affected regions to use caution against possible aftershocks.
Tomoko Nagane, the primary school principal in Hashikami, in Aomori prefecture, told NHK that classes were canceled for the day and that all children returned home safely.
Footage on Japan’s NHK public television showed several towns, including Sendai and Morioka, the broadcaster’s reporters saying they felt the shaking for a couple of minutes but have not seen any damage.
Videos showed people commuting as usual.
The East Japan Railway Co., which operates trains in northeastern regions, said some bullet trains and local lines were temporarily suspended for safety checks.
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100%flagged-word coverageMinoru Kihara
41 attributed words16% of attributed speech98% writer coverage
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Analysis
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