Magnitude 6.1 quake strikes off Japan’s west

TOKYO

Japan’s weather agency announced that a magnitude-6.1 earthquake shook the country’s western Friday, but no tsunami warning has been issued.

The Japan Meteorological Agency as saying that the tremblor occurred at a depth of around 10 kilometers off the coast of Mie Prefecture shortly before noon.

According to Kyodo news agency, no casualties or damage were reported.

Around 3,600 passengers, however, were affected by a temporary halt of bullet train services on lines in the area.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active areas. It accounts for around 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

The country’s coastal areas of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures were devastated in the wake of a March 2011 quake.

An ensuing massive tsunami killed more than 18,000 people and triggered a nuclear disaster.