Earthquake in Japan

Tsunami warning lowered after quake in Japan

The powerful earthquake that hit Japan does not appear to have caused any major damage, several media outlets report.

Images from the country show the ground shaking violently and people gathering in evacuation sites. The tsunami warning that was issued has been downgraded and people are now being urged to be vigilant in or near the sea.

The quake had a magnitude of 7.6 and had its epicenter in the same area as the devastating earthquake disaster in 2011, when around 20,000 people died and a meltdown occurred at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The UN atomic energy agency IAEA has not detected any operational abnormalities at the nuclear power plant after Monday's quake.

Powerful earthquake in Japan – tsunami warning issued

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 has occurred off Japan, several media outlets report.

The quake struck at a depth of 50 kilometers off Aomori Prefecture in the northern part of Honshu island, according to the country's geological agency JMA. The epicenter is eighty kilometers from the coast.

A tsunami warning was issued and waves of up to three meters were expected in northeastern Honshu and eastern Hokkaido. However, the waves never reached more than half a meter and the warning was downgraded.

The effects of the quake are otherwise unknown.