another service is being tried out at ibaraki airport, about 100 kilometers northeast of tokyo. the airport is the gate way for budget international flights from shanghai. s.i.m. cards went on sale this month in the lobby. when visitors buy a card they also get a special coupon issued by the prefectural government. the cards can be used to get discounts on regional specialties like sweets at the airport or sake at local stores. tourism officials teamed up with food companies to create the coupon scheme. >> translator: we want to work with telecom companies to provide a good network in ibaraki. at the same time the coupon can boost tourist spending here. we hope that will invigorate ibaraki prefecture. >> reporter: but some tourists say that japan's network service still has problems. >> i thought it was quite expensive to what we get in the uk actually. which is we've got s.i.m. cards you can buy data only for one month with unlimited data. >> reporter: there may be a solution. major japanese mobile carriers have long shut out other s.i.m. cards. critics say their monthly rates

the strongest jolt was recorded in ibaraki prefecture. >> translator: it felt like the world was wobbling. the shaking lasted for about a minute. >> translator: we were using oil and gas at my workplace, so everyone panicked. >> the quake temporarily disrupted trains and other public transport in tokyo and surrounding areas, but no major damage has been reported. experts are calling for precaution against aftershocks. >> translator: weaker tremors could occur within a week. >> officials say strong tremors could have loosened the ground in some places possibly leading to falling rocks or landslides. >>> and it's assuring to know the crippled nuclear facilities in fukushima were not affected by today's jolt. on a business note. also feeling ri assured is the beleaguered utility company. >> well james, some positives in the infrastructure sector of the economy. tokyo electric power company, or tepco, and mitsubishi corporation have won a contract to build a major power plant in qatar. this is the first overseas project tepco has successfully bid for since the 2011 nuclear disaster. the utili