An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 struck Fukushima Prefecture and other areas in northeastern Japan early Friday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, the weather agency said.
The 12:14 a.m. quake registered lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Fukushima Prefecture, and 4 in many areas in Miyagi, Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The quake's focus was off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture at a depth of about 50 kilometers.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in the prefecture, its government said.
No new abnormalities were found at the Fukushima Daiichi or Fukushima Daini nuclear plants, according to the Nuclear Regulation Authority. The plants have been offline since they were damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, but melted-down and used nuclear fuels continue to be kept cool at the facilities.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the operator of the plants, said the quake prompted it to suspend the release of treated radioactive water into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi complex, which it began on Feb. 28.
The quake had no major impact on the Tokai No. 2 atomic power station in Ibaraki Prefecture or the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi Prefecture, their operators said.
