Normal condition of nuclear power plants
About 33,400 homes in the three prefectures of Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata, located on the Sea of Japan, were without power, according to local electricity distributors.
Several highways near the quake were closed to traffic and high-speed rail (Shinkansen) service between Tokyo and Ishikawa was also disrupted, Japan Railways reported.
Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. The archipelago therefore uses very strict construction standards so that buildings can withstand generally powerful earthquakes, and residents are constantly preparing for such situations.
But memories of the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the country's northeast coast in March 2011 haunt Japan. The disaster also led to the Fukushima nuclear accident, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi assured on Monday that no anomalies had been reported so far at the Shika nuclear power plant, located in Ishikawa department, or at other nuclear power plants in the country.
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