Japan: Magnitude 4.9 quake hits Tokyo, no threat of tsunami

The Meteorological Agency of Japan says the quake was centred in northwestern Chiba prefecture, east to Tokyo.

Japan earthquake
USGS

A 4.9-magnitude earthquake hit the Tokyo area on Thursday, the Meteorological Agency of Japan said. However, the authorities did not issue any tsunami warning.

According to the agency, the quake was centred in northwestern Chiba prefecture, east to Tokyo.

Japan is located at the junction of four tectonic plates and earthquakes are quite common in the country. The country sits on one of the world's most seismically active zone known as the Pacific Ring. But rigid building codes and strict enforcement mean even strong tremors often do little damage.

Reports say Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude-6 or greater.

On March 11, 2011, the north-east coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest quake in Japan on record, and a massive tsunami. Those events triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.

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