An earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan, less than 24 hours after a seismic movement in Nepal caused further devastation in the region.
The US Geological Survey said the 6.8-magnitude earthquake occurred off the northeastern Japan coast near Honshu island in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 38.9 kilometres. The quake struck at 6.13am local time (7.13am AEST).
No tsunami warning has been issued.
Large areas jolted by the latest tremor were among those damaged by a 2011 quake and tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and triggered a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant.
The latest quake did not damage any of the nuclear reactors in the region, including those at the crippled Fukushima facility, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said. All of Japan's reactors have been off-line since the Fukushima disaster.
Train services in the region, including "Shinkansen" bullet train operations, have been temporarily suspended.
Japan's islands are situated at the juncture of several tectonic plates and experience a number of relatively violent quakes every year.
But building codes are rigorous and regular disaster drills are held, helping to ensure that despite their frequency and magnitude, quakes usually pass without loss of life or significant damage to property in Japan.
Meanwhile, at least 48 people were killed yesterday when a severe quake rocked Nepal just weeks after a previous quake claimed thousands of lives including those of climbers at Mt Everest base camp.
Yesterday, powerful aftershocks hit the ravaged nation measuring magnitudes of 5.6, 5.4 and 6.3.
Tremors were also felt in Afghanistan and India, with four people dying in the latter.
A powerful 6.8 earthquake has struck off the eastern coast of Japan’s Honshu island, shaking the same area devastated by a quake and tsunami four years ago, USGS and Japan Meteorological Agency report. No casualties or damage have yet been reported.
The quake struck at 6:13am local time at a depth of almost 50 kilometers. While USGS originally reported the quake at 6.9 magnitude, JMA measured it at 6.6. No casualties or damage have yet been reported.
No tsunami warning was issued by JMA and according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based on all available data a “destructive pacific-wide tsunami” is not expected. No warning has been issued for the US state of Hawaii.
No abnormalities were reported at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. However, some trains were reportedly delayed on the Tohoku Line between Fukushima and Sendai prefectures following tremors. Onagawa and Higashidori nuclear power plants also reported no abnormalities.
Update: Earthquake-Report
Update: Earthquake-Report
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