Quake hits off Japan's Fukushima, no tsunami risk

Local train services temporarily ceased after incident

TOKYO: A 5.6-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday struck northeastern Japan but there was no fear of a tsunami, Japanese and US authorities said.

The quake struck at a depth of 42.3 kilometres in the Pacific Ocean 34 kilometres east-northeast of the town of Namie, the US Geological Survey said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no risk of a tsunami from the quake, which caused some swaying in high-rise buildings in Tokyo.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries though some local train services, reportedly, stopped.



Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the Fukushima plant, said no abnormalities were detected.

A massive undersea quake on March 11, 2011, sent a tsunami barreling into the northeast coast, leaving more than 18,500 people dead or missing and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

In November, a powerful 6.9-magnitude quake sparked panic and triggered a one-metre tsunami that washed ashore at the Fukushima plant but caused no damage.

Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year.