EARTHQUAKE. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake jolted northeastern Japan at 12:16 p.m. on Thursday (April 4), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The Department of Migrant Workers has immediately activated its protocols to closely monitor the situation and developments of overseas Filipino workers in Japan. (Photo grabbed from the Japan Meteorological Agency website)
MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is closely monitoring the situation and developments of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Japan following a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck shortly after noon on Thursday.
“The DMW’s Migrant Workers Offices in Tokyo and Osaka (MWO-Tokyo | MWO-Osaka), citing the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), reported the quake’s epicenter was located off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture in the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan’s main island,” the advisory issued by the DMW read.
The DMW said protocols for accounting for the safety and status of OFWs in the affected areas were immediately activated.
It assured that its migrant workers offices in Tokyo and Osaka are on standby and ready to assist OFWs who may be affected by the strong quake.
The DMW Head Office has also ordered the two posts to provide them with timely updates as developments occur.
The JMA said a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 jolted northeastern Japan at 12:16 p.m., and registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures
Its epicenter was located about 40 kilometers underground off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture.
At 2:13 p.m., another earthquake with a magnitude of 3.8 was registered by the JMA at the Southern Coast of Iwate Prefecture with a depth of 110 kilometers.
No tsunami warnings have been issued.
The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo said a survey by the Ministry of Justice in June 2020 showed that there are around 290,000 Filipinos living in Japan, the fourth largest group of foreign residents in the country. (PNA)
