Earthquake of magnitude 5.6 jolts Japan

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 jolted Ibaraki Prefecture, located in the Kanto region on the main island of Honshu, bordering the Pacific Ocean, the Japan meteorological Agency (JAM) said on Monday evening.

According to the agency, the quake struck at 9:23 p.m. local time at a latitude of 36.0 degrees north and longitude of 139.9 degrees east, Xinhua reported.

The agency measured the depth of the temblor at 40 km and said on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at seven, the quake measured lower five.

In addition, the weather agency said no tsunami warning had been issued, but warned of possible aftershocks.

The epicentre of the quake was located around 120 km from Tokyo and the quake could be felt throughout wide regions of Japan's eastern seaboard, with the commercial district of Shibuya in central Tokyo feeling the jolt and people on the streets of Tokyo's residential Setagaya-ku pausing as the pavement wobbled and building creaked and swayed.

There are no reports of injury yet as a result of the quake.

--IANS

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