At 10:41 on the evening of Oct. 7, an earthquake estimated at a magnitude of 5.9 at its epicenter rattled the greater Kanto region. While damage was minimal, it was the strongest to hit Japan¡¯s capital since the earthquake and aftershocks of the temblor that devastated the Tohoku region on March 11, 2011.

Kyodo News Agency reported that many late-night train passengers were stranded, with services on bullet trains and 16 local lines canceled or delayed. Normal service on some lines was not restored until 3 p.m. the next day.

On the JR Tokaido Line, several hundred passengers were forced to evacuate by escape ladder from a train after being stranded for more than two hours. East Japan Railway Co. alone estimated that .