Quake rocks Japan's Fukushima

An earthquake has struck near Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, although no abnormalities in radiation were reported.

Inspectors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma.

(File: AAP)

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has rocked Japan's Fukushima prefecture.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 22km below the ground, according to the US Geological Survey.

It struck 20km west of the city of Iwaki, bordering the Pacific Ocean, at 2.25am (3.25am AEST) on Friday.

The epicentre was about 50km southwest of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which was crippled by the major quake and tsunami in March, 2011.

The Japan Meteorological Agency, which put the quake at magnitude 5.8, said no tsunami warning had been issued.

The tremor caused buildings to shake in the capital Tokyo, 175km away, an AFP reporter there said.

It came just hours after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe toured the Fukushima nuclear plant on Thursday, ordering its operator Tokyo Electric Power to fix radioactive water leaks there.

TEPCO said in a statement to Kyodo news agency that no abnormalities in radiation or equipment were observed at the plant after the quake.


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Source: AAP

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