Strong earthquake strikes off Japan's Izu islands but no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning issued
A strong earthquake has jolted eastern and northeastern Japan, but there are no immediate reports of injuries or damages and no tsunami warning has been issued.
The earthquake - of magnitude of 7 - measured 4 in central Tokyo, Fukushima and their surrounding areas on the Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion, according to Japan Meteorological Agency.
A spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power said there were no reports of any abnormalities at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plan following the quake.
Some high-speed train services in northern Japan were suspended after the earthquake, but soon resumed operations, Kyodo news reported.
The magnitude 7 earthquake, at a depth of nearly 217 miles, was recorded south-southwest of Hachijo-jima off Japan's southeastern Izu islands on Sunday at 5.27am GMT, the US Geological Survey reported.
The Hawaii-based US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued a tsunami.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
On 11 March 2011, the northeast coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest quake in Japan on record, and a massive tsunami, which triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years since Chernobyl.
The disaster left up to 23,000 dead or missing.
