A magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook northern Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported on June 25. The tremor hit a rare upper 6 on the domestic intensity scale in Hashikami, Aomori Prefecture. No tsunami warnings were issued, The Japan Times reports.

The epicentre was 50 km deep off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, JMA officials said on June 25. Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture recorded a lower 6 intensity. Several towns in Iwate Prefecture reached an upper 5. An upper 6 intensity makes standing impossible and causes unsecured furniture to overturn.

Transport ground to a halt immediately. Operations on the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line stopped between Sendai and Aomori. Local train lines in Iwate and Aomori were suspended indefinitely.

The Prime Minister’s Office set up an emergency task force. "There is no tsunami concern," said Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on June 25. She asked residents of the affected areas to remain vigilant for the possibility of another earthquake of similar magnitude, she told reporters on June 25.

JMA officials urged communities near the Japan Trench and Kuril Trench to remain vigilant for a week, during a press briefing on June 25. They warned there is a 10% to 20% probability of another major quake hitting the same area within the next two to three days.

No deaths or injuries have been recorded, and nearby nuclear power infrastructure is operating normally, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference. Fuji TV reported that a lift stalled in Hachinohe, leaving several people trapped. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi ordered the Self-Defence Forces to launch aerial intelligence-gathering flights over the affected zones.

Northern Japan has faced constant seismic activity recently. A magnitude 6.3 quake hit the Tohoku region in May, while a magnitude 7.7 event struck the area in April. Major quakes of magnitude 7 or above occur along this coast every 10 to 20 years, reported Ayaki Ebita, head of the JMA earthquake monitoring division, on June 25.

Frequent smaller tremors have continued since a magnitude 7.7 quake on November 4, the government’s earthquake research headquarters stated earlier this month. Scientists believe post-seismic deformation in Iwate Prefecture is driving the current activity.