Japan: 5.3-magnitude quake strikes off east coast, no tsunami warning issued

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck off the east coast of Japan's Chiba Prefecture, the weather agency said on Tuesday, although no tsunami warning has been issued.

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

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which occurred at 12:42 p.m. local time, was centered off the east coast of Chiba Prefecture, with its epicenter at a latitude of 35.0 degrees north and longitude at 141.1 degrees east.

The quake occurred at a depth of 40 km, the weather agency said.

The earthquake logged 2 on Japan's seismic scale, which peaks at 7, in coastal regions in Chiba and Shizuoka prefectures, the JMA said.

The weather agency also said the quake registered in the neighboring prefectures of Saitama and Kanagawa, as well as the capital Tokyo.

Japan's nuclear watchdog has not reported any abnormalities at nuclear facilities in the region, such as the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture or the Tkai Nuclear Power Plant in Ibaraki Prefecture.