Event: Sarabetsu

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to SingaporeA view inside the Asean Secretariat building during a foreign ministers’ meeting in 2022. Indonesia has hosted the secretariat since it was established in 1976. Photo: Asean/AFP2. Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ riskThe sun rises behind boats moored at a pier on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on April 12. Bali recorded 547 earthquakes last year. Photo: AFP3. 3 killed in Japanese Type 10 tank blast that has military baffledA Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force Type 10 tank (centre) is seen during a live‑fire drill at the Hijudai manoeuvre area on April 21, 2026. Photo: Kyodo

The quake struck 18 kilometres (11 miles) west of the small town of Sarabetsu in Hokkaido at a depth of 81 kilometres (50 miles), according to the USGSUpdated - April 27, 2026 07:40 am IST People take shelter outside a building following an earthquake. Image used for representative purposes only. | Photo Credit: AP A magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook part of northern Japan early on Monday (April 27, 2026), but no damage or casualties have been reported.No tsunami advisory was issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Published - April 27, 2026 04:07 am IST

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake, measuring an upper 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, struck Hokkaido before 5:30 a.m. on Monday. | JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY A strong earthquake rattled Hokkaido early Monday, the U.S. and Japanese meteorological agencies reported, the latest in a series of powerful tremors to hit Japan.The magnitude 6.2 quake struck shortly before 5:30 a.m. in Hokkaido’s southern region, at a depth of 83 kilometers, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported.The quake registered an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in the town of Urahoro, Hokkaido, and a lower 5 in the town of Niikappu, also in Hokkaido, according to the JMA. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

A strong earthquake rattled Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido early on Monday, US and Japanese meteorological agencies reported, the latest in a series of powerful tremors to hit the island nation.The 6.2-magnitude quake struck at 5.23am in Hokkaido’s southern region, at a depth of 83km (52 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported, revising its preliminary estimate of magnitude 6.1.No tsunami alert was issued, JMA said, and the US Geological Survey predicted that damage to property and threat to life was minimal, given the limited population in the region some 200km east of Sapporo.But “in areas that experienced strong shaking, the danger of falling rocks and landslides has increased”, a JMA official told reporters.A local resident evacuates to higher ground after a tsunami warning was issued following an earthquake in Kushiro on Hokkaido. Photo: Kyodo/ReutersJMA also warned that risks of experiencing more quakes of a similar strength in the area in the coming week were high.Hours earlier, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurred in the sea a few hundred kilometres south of Hokkaido.