Strong quake shakes Japan

TOKYO – A strong earthquake struck just off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan. No tsunami warning was issued.

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit about 12:30 p.m. Thursday near Urakawa, a town on the southern tip of Hokkaido, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It said the quake’s center was located at a depth of 30 miles below the sea surface.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Two nuclear power plants and the Rokkasho reprocessing plant in the quake-hit region were not affected, nuclear safety officials said.