Strong earthquake hits same Japan region as 2011 disaster, no tsunami risk

TOKYO – A strong earthquake hit Japan on Wednesday in the same region devastated by a major quake and tsunami in 2011. Authorities said there was no risk of tsunami.

The magnitude 6.8 quake struck at 6:12 a.m. at a depth of 46 kilometres (29 miles) off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It shook a wide swath of northern Japan and was felt in Tokyo, 415 kilometres (260 miles) to the southwest. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Meteorological agency official Yohei Hasegawa told a news conference that the earthquake was an aftershock of the magnitude 9.0 disaster that killed more than 18,000 people in March 2011.

No abnormalities were reported at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which was damaged beyond repair in the 2011 disaster, or at other reactors in the region.