What is an ‘upper 5’ earthquake? Japan braces after tsunami warning issued

WorldEnvironment
20 Apr 2026 • 5:38 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

What is an ‘upper 5’ earthquake? Japan braces after tsunami warning issued

  • An earthquake on Monday afternoon registered an "upper 5" on Japan's seismic intensity scale in certain areas.
  • This "upper 5" intensity, recorded in Aomori prefecture, indicates that most people would struggle to walk without support and unfixed furniture could topple.
  • Lower 5 levels on the shindo scale were also reported in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
  • Japan employs a unique shindo scale, ranging from 0 to 7, to measure the actual impact of ground shaking at a specific location.
  • This shindo scale differs from the magnitude scale, which quantifies the earthquake's total energy at its origin.

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