Quake rattles Japan disaster zone

A strong earthquake has rattled north eastern Japan, leaving seven people injured. No tsunami warning was issued.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said the magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck at 3.54am local time today (6.54pm Irish Time Saturday) off the coast of Fukushima, a region struck by the March 11 massive quake and tsunami.

The epicentre was 35 miles below the sea surface.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power said the quake caused no further damage to its Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power complex, which was crippled by the March disasters.

Seven people in nearby cities were injured mildly.

The March disasters left about 23,000 people dead or missing across Japan’s north east coast and forced 80,000 others to evacuate their homes due to the radiation threat.