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Strong earthquake hits northern Japan
The quake happened at 8:15 pm off the eastern shore of Nemuro city of Hokkaido prefecture.
A strong quake, with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale, jolted northern Japan on Wednesday, near an area that was recently hit by tsunamis, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The quake happened at 8:15 pm off the eastern shore of Nemuro city of Hokkaido prefecture, 1,000 kilometres north of Tokyo, the agency said.
The quake, which happened around islands claimed by both Japan and Russia, was 100 kilometres deep, the agency said.
There were no immediate reports of damage and no concerns about a tsunami, the agency said.
The Nemuro area experienced minor tsunamis last week after one of the biggest earthquakes in recent times hit near the northeastern Russian-ruled Kuril islands.
Japan lies at the junction of four tectonic plates and endures about 20 per cent of the world's most powerful earthquakes, which frequently jolt Tokyo and other major cities.
