Strong quake hits northern Japan's Hokkaido

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 jolted the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Tuesday but there were no reports of injury or major damage.

The focus of the quake, which shook the northwestern part of the island at 2:56 p.m. (0556 GMT), was 20 km below the earth's surface in the Rumoi area, about 1,100 km north of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

No tsunami warning was issued.

The Hokkaido region, much of which is sparsely populated, has been hit by several strong tremors in recent weeks, including a 7.1 magnitude quake that injured 20 people in November.

In October, a 6.8 magnitude tremor killed 40 people and injured thousands in the Niigata region of northern Japan.

The magnitudes were measured according to a Japanese scale that is very similar to the Richter scale.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Japan sits atop the junction of at least three tectonic plates, immense slabs of the Earth's crust whose gradual movements are thought to cause earthquakes, making it one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions.

- REUTERS