21 March 2005 – The Philippine Consulate General in Osaka, Japan today reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that no Filipinos were hurt or severely affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake that shook Japan’s Kyushu region and some parts of the Western Region on Sunday 20 March 2005.

Philippine Consul General Antonio P. Villamayor informed the Department that, since yesterday, the Consulate has been in close contact with government authorities of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City, as well as with Filipino community leaders in the affected areas to ensure the safety of all Filipinos affected by the quake.

Consul General Villamayor said the Consulate has not received any report of  Filipinos who were either injured or severely affected by the tremor.  Filipino community leaders informed the Consulate that property damage in areas within Fukuoka City, which has a big concentration of Filipinos, was limited to toppled cabinets or items that fell off the shelves.

Consul General Villamayor assured the Department that they are on alert for any news of Filipinos that may need help and that the Consulate is prepared to extend all possible assistance to Filipinos who may be adversely affected by the quake.

According to the latest data from the Japanese Ministry of Justice, there are 3,517 registered Filipinos residing in Fukuoka.

Consul General Villamayor reported that the earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter Scale, hit the Kyushu Region and other parts of Western Japan at around 10:53 a.m. yesterday, leaving at least one person dead and another 400 injured.

Information received from the Japanese Meteorological Agency revealed that the quake’s epicenter was located in the Gekainada Sea, about 40 kilometers northwest of Fukuoka with a depth of approximately 9 kilometers below the seabed.  Hardest hit were the areas of Fukuoka City, Maebara City and Genkaijima Island in Fukuoka Prefecture and Miyaki Town in Saga Prefecture.  It was also felt as far as Kyoto and Gifu Prefectures and is supposed to be the strongest earthquake to hit the Kyushu region since 1997.  END.