Strong earthquake hits off coast of Japan’s Fukushima

TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 hit off the coast of eastern Japan on Saturday, shaking buildings in Tokyo, but there appeared to be no major damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

The epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 60 km (36 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The earthquake hit at 11:08 p.m. local time (1408 GMT) and shook buildings in the capital. There were no reports of irregularities at the Tokaimura nuclear facility, public broadcaster NHK said. The Meteorological Agency said no tsunami warning had been issued.

The quake hit off of Fukushima just weeks before the 10-year anniversary of the March 11, 2011, quake that devasted northeast Japan and triggered a massive tsunami that led to the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter of a century.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. (Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by David Dolan and Angus MacSwan)