15 March 2010 / REUTERS, TOKYO
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 jolted northern Japan on Sunday, seismologists said, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo some 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.
There were no reports of injuries or damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The magnitude of the quake, at 5:08 p.m. (0808 GMT), was measured at 6.6 by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The epicenter was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) beneath the ocean off Honshu, Japan’s main island, the JMA said. Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc (TEPCO) said its two nuclear power plants in the region were operating normally. Tohoku Electric Power Co said operations at its Onagawa and Higashidori nuclear power plants were also normal. Operations at Fujitsu Ltd’s semiconductor plant in Fukushima prefecture, in northeast Japan, were also not affected by the quake, an official at Japan’s top IT services firm said. Public broadcaster NHK said a bullet train in the area automatically halted for a brief time but soon resumed operating. Expressways were closed for checks and police and fire departments were quoted as saying there were no reports of damage after the quake, NHK said.
