Japan's northeastern region jolted by M6.0 quake, no tsunami warning

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 jolted northeastern Japan around Thursday noon, the country's weather agency said, with no tsunami warning issued and no abnormalities confirmed at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The 12:16 p.m. quake registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The focus of the quake was located off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, about 40 kilometers underground.

According to the Nuclear Regulation Authority, no irregularities were detected at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, wrecked by a nuclear accident following the 2011 quake and tsunami disaster, as well as the Fukushima Daini plant, located about 12 kilometers south of the Daiichi.

Bullet trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line temporarily stopped following the quake, according to East Japan Railway Co.