Earthquake Hits Western Japan. Injuried at least more then 20 people

A strong earthquake struck western Japan, injuring at least 21 people, toppling buildings and disrupting transportation and communications. There were no immediate reports of fatalities. The earthquake struck at 1:30 p.m. in Tottori Prefecture, a largely rural area near the Japan Sea about 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of Tokyo. Officials reported 21 injuries in five prefectures, or states, as of 4:30 p.m. local time. That figure was expected to rise, based on local media reports of scattered injuries. The quake measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center. It measured 7.3 on the Japanese version of the Richter scale, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. That would make it more powerful than a 7.1-magnitude one that hit the area in 1943 and killed 1,300 people, Bloomberg.