Strong quake hits Japan’s northeast coast; no tsunami alert

TOKYO —  A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late Saturday, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said there were no irregularities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which experienced meltdowns following a massive quake and tsunami 10 years ago.

There were no immediate reports of irregularities from other nuclear plants in the area, such as Onagawa or Fukushima Daini, government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato told reporters.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3, raising it from a preliminary magnitude of 7.1.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that some 860,000 homes were without power as a result of the quake, but electricity was gradually being restored, according to Kato.

Kato said there was no danger of a tsunami from the quake. He said that some trains in northeastern Japan had stopped running and that other damage was still being checked.

Video from public broadcaster NHK showed pieces of a building wall had broken off and fallen to the ground, and pieces of glass were scattered at a store. Items fell off shelves because of the shaking, NHK said. NHK aerial video showed a portion of a highway blocked by a landslide in Soma, a city in Fukushima prefecture.

The extent of damage from the landslide was not immediately clear, Kato said.

He said there were several reports of minor injuries from the quake, including a man hit by a falling object.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered about 37 miles beneath the ocean floor.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga headed to his office immediately after reports of the quake, and a crisis center was set up there.

The shaking was felt in Tokyo, about 150 miles to the southwest.

The same northeastern area was slammed by a quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in March 2011.

Experts warned of aftershocks over the next several days, including possibly larger quakes.