Tokyo: A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan Tuesday morning, seismologists reported.
The quake struck at around 04:10 am local time (0040 IST) off the eastern Honshu coastline, 25 kilometres (16 miles) from the city of Toba and 37 kilometres from the city of Ise, according to the US Geological Survey which monitors earthquakes worldwide.
The tremor struck far down at a depth of 332 kilometres, USGS added. There were no initial reports of damage.
Japan lies on the so-called "Ring of Fire", a series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Ocean which create frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
More than 18,000 people died in March 2011 when a 9.0-magnitude sub-sea earthquake sent a towering tsunami barrelling into Japan`s northeast coast in the country`s worst post-World War II disaster.
Cooling systems at the Fukushima nuclear power plant were knocked out, sending reactors into meltdown and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan last week, rocking buildings in Tokyo. That tremor struck at a much shallower depth of 59 kilometres.
