Japan struck by magnitude 5.0 earthquake
Southern Ibaraki Prefecture of Japan was struck by a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 earthquake, the weather agency in Toksyo said on Tuesday. The quake, which struck at 8:33 am local time, logged 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7 in some areas of Ibaraki, as well as in neighboring prefectures of Tochigi, Gumma and Saitama.
According to the local media, the temblor's epicenter was located at a latitude of 36.1 degrees north and longitude of 139.9 degrees east and occurred at a depth of 50 km, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The temblor registered 3 on Japan's seismic scale in Fukushima, Chiba and Tokyo, the weather agency said.
There have been no reports of major damage or injuries as a result of the inland quake so far, no tsunami warning has been issued by the JMA.
Japan's nuclear watchdog has so far not reported any abnormalities at any of its nuclear plants in the affected areas.
