Moderate earthquake strikes north-western Japan
A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 struck north-western Japan today, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, the Meteorological Agency said.
The quake jolted Niigata prefecture (state) and other areas in central Japan, but no tsunami warnings were issued, the agency said.
The tremor, which struck at about 6.59pm (9.59am Irish time), was centred on Chuetsu region of the prefecture at a depth of about six miles.
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Niigata in October, killing 40 people and damaging thousands of homes – the deadliest to hit Japan since 1995, when a magnitude-7.2 quake killed 6,433 people in the western city of Kobe.
Niigata, the prefectural capital, is about 160 miles north-west of Tokyo.
Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
