A significant earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 has struck the premises of the Shimane Nuclear Power Station in western Japan, causing visible shaking but no immediate operational issues.
Plant Shakes But Operations Continue
The tremor hit at approximately 10:18 am local time on January 6, 2026, with its epicentre located in eastern Shimane prefecture. Surveillance footage from the site captured the moment the facility shook. Despite the powerful quake, which registered an upper-5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, the plant's operator, Chugoku Electric Power, stated that operations were continuing "as normal."
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed it had detected no irregularities at the site following the event. The Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed there was no danger of a tsunami being triggered.
Injuries and Transport Disruption
The quake resulted in a number of minor injuries across the region. Authorities reported five injuries in Shimane prefecture and one in neighbouring Tottori prefecture.
The tremor's strength was sufficient to disrupt major transport links. West Japan Railway suspended its Shinkansen bullet train services on the line between Shin-Osaka and Hakata as a safety precaution. The seismic activity also triggered a series of aftershocks in the area.
Context: Fukushima's Shadow and Nuclear Restart
This incident occurs against the backdrop of Japan's complex relationship with nuclear power following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. In that catastrophe, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused a triple reactor meltdown, leading to widespread evacuation and over 2,000 disaster-related deaths among evacuees.
The Shimane plant's No. 2 reactor had only recently been brought back online. It restarted in December 2024, marking a significant moment as it was the first restart since all of Japan's nuclear plants were shut down in the aftermath of the Fukushima crisis.
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active nations, experiencing around one-fifth of the globe's earthquakes of magnitude six or greater. This latest event underscores the persistent challenges of operating critical infrastructure in a region prone to significant tectonic activity.
