Earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hits off Japan coast, no tsunami warning

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Fukushima in Japan today but there was no risk of a tsunami, officials said.

The quake hit at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres at 04:59 pm (1329 IST), 255 kilometres east of Ishinomaki, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake posed no tsunami risk.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 triggered a massive and deadly tsunami, which smashed into the Fukushima nuclear power station and sparked the world's worst atomic accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Its operator is working to clean up and dismantle the reactors in a process that is expected to take at least four decades.