Strong 6.1 quake hits off Japan's east coast: USGS

Tokyo: A strong magnitude 6.1 quake hit off the east coast of Japan early Thursday but authorities did not issue a tsunami warning.

It struck 281 kilometres (175 miles) east of the city of Kamaishi on Honshu, the largest Japanese island, at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometres, the United States Geological Survey said. 

The Japan Meteorological Agency said no tsunami warning was in effect.