TOKYO: A strong earthquake hit near central Japan on Friday, but officials said there was no preliminary damage and no tsunami threat.

The 6.2 quake happened in Ishikawa prefecture near the central west coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's earthquake information center.

Japan's Kyodo News agency reported that there was nothing concerning at a nearby nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture. Japanese officials said there could be small waves but no tsunami danger. Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations. A massive 2011 quake in the country's northeast caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown that still reverberates today.

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