Japan hit by 6.0-magnitude quake, no tsunami warning issued

Japan was hit by a strong earthquake for the second-straight day on Saturday (Aug 20), though there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, officials said.

A shallow magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on Saturday, 167km from Miyako city, the United States Geological Survey said.

There was no threat of a tsunami following quake that had a depth of 10km, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The jolt came one day after a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck north-eastern Japan off the coast of Ibaraki prefecture, just south of Fukushima.

The crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, battered by a massive 2011 earthquake-generated tsunami and that is currently being decommissioned, has shown no irregularities in radiation levels following Friday's jolt, officials said.

Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year, but rigid building codes and their strict enforcement mean even strong tremors often do little damage.

But the massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barreling into Japan's north-east coast, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Newsletter

These images show the Sun’s surface in greater detail than ever before

On Wednesday, astronomers released what they said were the most detailed images ever taken of the surface of our sun. As...

Magnitude 7.7 quake hits between Cuba and Jamaica, but no injuries

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a v...

US House passes bill on sanctions against Chinese officials for meddling in Dalai Lama’s succession

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that authorises financial and travel sanctions against Chinese officia...

Squid Brains Are Nearly as Complex as Dog Brains, Researchers Claim

We all know that cephalopods are wicked smart, and their complex nerve systems go some way to explain their aptitudes. N...

Four Japanese evacuees from Wuhan taken to hospital with fevers

Japanese officials say four evacuees on a flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan have a cough and fever. Tokyo Metropolit...

US military recovers remains from Afghanistan plane crash

The United States on Tuesday recovered the remains of two personnel from a US military aircraft that crashed in Afghanis...