Big quake rocks northeast Japan

TOKYO – A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit off Japan’s northeastern coast today, shaking buildings hundreds of miles away in Tokyo and triggering a small tsunami. There were no immediate reports of significant damage or injuries.

The quake struck at 11:45 a.m. local time and was centered about 90 miles off the northeastern coast – about 270 miles northeast of Tokyo – at a depth of about 5 miles, Japan’s meteorological agency said.

A 24-inch tsunami reached the coastal town of Ofunato, in Iwate prefecture, with other towns reporting smaller waves reaching shore about 30 minutes after the quake.

“We have confirmed that small tsunami have come up on the shores, but we have no reports of damage at this point,” said Shinobu Nagano, an emergency and disaster response official in Iwate. “We are still trying to determine the impact of the quake.”

Some train lines in the area were temporarily stopped after the quake, but they were restarted shortly after noon.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said a Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected.