Earthquake shakes buildings in Tokyo, no danger of tsunami

An earthquake struck just off the coast of Fukushima prefecture in Japan on Aug 15, 2016. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM USGS

TOKYO (REUTERS) - An earthquake shook buildings in the Japanese capital on Monday (Aug 15), but there was no danger of a tsunami and no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The centre of the 5.5 magnitude earthquake was located under the sea on Japan's north-east coast, not far from the site of a magnitude 9 quake in 2011 that touched off a massive tsunami and left nearly 20,000 dead.

The tsunami also set off the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

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