6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Japan, no tsunami threat

The authorities say there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Japan, no tsunami threat
The collapsed buildings of Aso Shrine which were damaged by last April's earthquake are covered with volcanic ashes from Mount Aso in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo October 8, 2016. Kyodo/via Reuters

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan on Saturday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

According to USGS, the quake was at a depth of 44 kilometres (27 miles). At around 6.42 am the earthquake struck near the northeast coast of the main Honshu island, some 350 kilometres from Tokyo.

However, the authorities said there were no immediate reports of damage or injury. The quake did not trigger any tsunami alert. Japan is situated at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year. The country sits on one of the world's most seismically active zones.

According to reports, Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude-6 or greater. But, rigid building codes and their strict enforcement mean even strong tremors often do little damage.

In April, two strong earthquakes hit the Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan which was followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks. At least 50 people were killed due to the quake that caused widespread damage.

While in March 2011, a massive undersea quake sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast, killing more than 18,000 people and thousands of people missing. It also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

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