|
TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 shook areas near Tokyo on Saturday, Japan's Meteorological Agency said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The epicenter of the moderate quake, which struck at 4:35 p.m. (0735 GMT), was 90 km (56 miles) deep in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, the agency said, adding there was no risk of a tsunami.
The quake led to the stoppage of some bullet train services, public broadcaster NHK said.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 3,000.
That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995 that killed more than 6,400 people.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050723/ts_nm/quake_ja.....MlJVRPUCUl
|
