Tokyo: A moderate 5.8-magnitude earthquake
struck off the east coast of the Japanese island of Honshu
Saturday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate
reports of casualties or damage.
The tremor hit at 1246 GMT with an epicentre 71
kilometres north north-east of Iwaki, Honshu at a depth of 73
kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
There was no immediate tsunami alert.
Around 20 per cent of the world's most powerful
earthquakes strike Japan, which lies near the junction of two
tectonic plates.
Geologists warn that Japan is overdue for a massive and
potentially devastating earthquake.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 23:49