Strong Earthquake Rocks NE Japan

Posted July 31st, 2011 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
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A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolted northeastern Japan early Sunday in the same region that was devastated by a massive 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami earlier this year.

The U.S. Geological Survey says quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean near the east coast of Japan's Honshu island, 185 kilometers northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 43 kilometers.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from the quake, and no tsunami warning was issued.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant crippled by the March 11 quake and tsunami, said the latest earthquake did not cause any new damage to the plant.

More than 20,000 people were killed or left missing after the March twin disaster. Another 80,000 have been forced to evacuate their homes because of the radiation threat from the nuclear plant.