A strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted the island of Kozu in the Izu island chain on Saturday, killing at least one person, officials said.
The victim, identified only as male, was in a car buried by a landslide triggered by the 4:01 p.m. quake, the Metropolitan Police Department said. More than 10 landslides have occurred on the 19-sq.-km island, it said.
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara immediately asked the Ground Self-Defense Force to dispatch a disaster rescue team to the island, which is home to 2,300 people and under the jurisdiction of the metropolitan government, metro officials said.