Earthquake rattles northern Japan

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake shakes northern Japan, the country's meteorological agency said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake shook northern Japan on Saturday, the country's meteorological agency said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

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The epicentre of the quake, which struck at around 9:35 am (0035 GMT), was 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of the city of Sapporo on Hokkaido island, the agency said.

The quake struck at a depth of about 100 kilometres, it added.
The US Geological Survey registered the quake's magnitude at 5.7, and said it struck at a shallow depth of just five kilometres.

Around 20 per cent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan.