Japan: Earthquake of magnitude 6.1 hits Honshu island; no casualties reported yet

Tokyo: A strong magnitude 6.1 quake hit off the east coast of Japan on Wednesday but authorities did not issue a tsunami warning.

It struck 281 kilometres east of the city of Kamaishi on Honshu, the largest Japanese island, at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometres, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The Japan Meteorological Agency said no tsunami warning was in effect and the USGS said only weak shaking would have been felt on Honshu and the risk of damage was likely to be minor. Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year. But rigid building codes and strict enforcement of them mean even strong tremors typically do little damage.