Tokyo, Sept 29: A powerful earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale shook northern Japan today, just days after two massive quakes rocked the region, the meteorological agency said. The quake occurred at 11:37 am (0805 IST) at about the same place as the earlier ones, some 750 kilometers north of Tokyo, in the Pacific Ocean off the southeastern coast of northern Hokkaido island, the agency said.

The focus of the quake was 30 kilometers below sea-level. There was no fear of "Tsunami" tidal waves, the agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage caused by the tremor, the latest in a series of powerful aftershocks since a quake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale truck Hokkaido early Friday injuring almost 600 people.

Meanwhile, a major fire at an earthquake-damaged oil refinery in northern Japan raged for a second day today despite continued efforts to douse the flames, officials said. Billowing flames and black smoke continued to pour out of Idemitsu Kosan's 32,779 kiloliter Naphtha tank in Tomakomai, some 750 kilometers north of Tokyo, television footage showed.

Bureau Report