Earthquake hits eastern Japan, no tsunami warning, NHK reports

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TOKYO (Reuters) – A strong earthquake rocked eastern Japan Friday night, but there was no warning of a tsunami, NHK reported.

The quake struck at 1003 GMT and had a magnitude of 6.2, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Buildings shook in Tokyo as well as surrounding prefectures, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage.

The epicenter was near Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, at a depth of 50 km.

Footage from NHK showed buildings shaking near Narita International Airport in Chiba. NHK said airport authorities were checking for damage to its runways.

East Japan Railway Company (9020T) said it will suspend some train services in Chiba Prefecture.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, which is one of the most seismically active regions of the world. Japan accounts for about a fifth of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

On March 11, 2011, the northeastern coast was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and a massive tsunami. Those events caused the world’s worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl disaster a quarter of a century ago.

NHK said Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) was looking for signs of damage at its nuclear reactors in Fukushima, the site of the meltdown in the 2011 disaster.

Reporting by Rocky Swift, Mariko Katsumura, Anton Bridge Editing by David Dolan and Kim Coghill

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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