Magnitude 5 earthquake strikes off mountainous Nagano in Japan, NHK says

An ​earthquake with ​a preliminary magnitude of ​5 struck mountainous Nagano prefecture in central Japan on Saturday, ‌NHK ⁠said.

The quake ⁠hit Omachi in northern Nagano around 1:20 p.m. (0420 GMT), NHK said, adding the Japan Meteorological Agency would hold a ⁠press conference ‌in about two hours.

The earthquake registered ⁠a seismic intensity of upper-5 ​on Japan's 1-7 scale, ​strong enough to make movement difficult without support.


It was not immediately clear whether there ‌was any damage.

Earthquakes are common in ​Japan, ​one of ⁠the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about ​one-fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.