Powerful quake shakes northwest Japan again

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RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED July 31, 2011

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the northwest coast of Japan early on Sunday and the jolts were felt in Tokyo, the NHK television reported.

The quake struck at 03.53 am local time on Sunday (20:53 GMT on Saturday) some 18 kilometers off-coast from the Fukushima prefecture and 186 kilometers from the capital of Japan at the depth of 43.5 kilometers, according to data from the U.S. Geological Service.

No damage or casualties or tsunami threats were reported.

A 9.0-magnitude quake off Japan's northeast coast on March 11 triggered a tsunami and explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP), which caused the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

The Japanese authorities said earlier in July that it would take decades to decommission the crippled NPP, while environment experts reported higher concentration of radioactive elements in soil and produce from the region.

Powerful aftershocks continue to rattle Japan, fueling fears of another natural disaster that could hit the country anytime.

Topics: Japan

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