MAGNITUDE 7.2 EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN
No casualties or major damage were reported when a strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan on Thursday.
Tremors were felt several hundred miles away in Tokyo from the quake in the sea off Iwate prefecture on the main island of Honshu at 7:30 am (2230 GMT Wednesday). No tsunami warning was issued.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the magnitude was 6.9 but later revised it to 7.2, saying the epicentre was at a depth of 44 kilometres.