5.3-Magnitude Quake Strikes Japan’s Gifu Prefecture

An earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3, struck Japan’s Gifu Prefecture on Tuesday, the weather agency  said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which occurred at 1.13 p.m. local time, was centred inland, with its epicentre at a latitude of 36.3 degrees north and a longitude of 137.6 degrees east and at depth of 10 kilometres.

The weather agency had not issued a tsunami warning or advisory as a result of the quake.

The earthquake logged four on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at seven in some areas of Gifu Prefecture, the JMA said.

In the neighbouring prefecture of Nagano, the quake also registered three on Japan’s seismic scale, said the JMA.

There have been no immediate reports of major damage or injuries as a result of the quake.

Japan’s nuclear watchdog has not, as yet, issued any warning about irregularities or abnormalities at any nuclear power stations operating in the region or taken off-line for safety inspections in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima crisis.

(Xinhua/NAN)