A 5.4 magnitude quake hit Japan yesterday at 12:19pm. The quake was centered in Mie prefecture, which is about 200 miles southwest of Tokyo. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported 11 injured with one serious injury. Other damages include partial damage to 26 houses in Mie and a 400 year old castle.
Earthquakes are pretty common in Japan being one of the most earthquake prone countries in the whole world. The reason for this is that the country sits atop four different tectonic plates. Japan, of course, being technologically advanced manages to cope with the problem with cutting edge earthquake-resistant buildings and regular earthquake drills. However, despite all their preparation they are still powerless when nature decides to unleash a powerful quake. All anybody can do then is hope that the preparation minimizes the damage and casualties.
The last killer quake (magnitude of 7.2) occurred in 1995 at Kobe wherein 6,433 people died.