Quake hits northern Japan, no casualties reported

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rocks the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Sunday, but there are no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rocked the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said.

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The quake struck at 1:12 pm (0412 GMT), with the epicentre in northeastern Kushiro on Hokkaido at a depth of 130 kilometres (81 miles), the meteorological agency said.

No tsunami alert was issued.

Japan lies at the junction of four tectonic plates and endures about 20 per cent of the world's most powerful earthquakes. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the western city of Kobe in January 1995 killed more than 6,400 people.