(AFP) – Dec 20, 2008

TOKYO (AFP) — A strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Saturday off the east coast of Japan but there was no damage or injuries, officials said.

The quake hit 139 kilometres (87 miles) east-southeast of Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture in the north of Japan's main island of Honshu, meteorologists said.

A Fukushima police official said that there were no reports of damage or injuries.

The earthquake struck at 7:29 pm (1029 GMT) and was a shallow 10 kilometres deep, the Japanese and US meteorological agencies said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no tsunami, although there might be "slight sea level changes" due to the earthquake.

The quake was followed by aftershocks of magnitude 5.1 and 5.5, the US Geological Survey said.

Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan.

A 7.2-magnitude quake hit northern Honshu in June, leaving 23 people dead or missing.

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