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Massive Earthquake Strikes Off Japan's East Coast

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A traffic jam is seen as people evacuate after tsunami advisories were issued following an earthquake, in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo, Nov. 22, 2016.
A traffic jam is seen as people evacuate after tsunami advisories were issued following an earthquake, in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo, Nov. 22, 2016.

An earthquake with a magnitude 7.3 struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture in northeast Japan early Tuesday.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck 10 kilometers underground, about 250 kilometers northeast of the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

There were no immediate reports of fatalities, however some injuries and minor damage occurred.

Approximate earthquake epicenter, near Tomioka, Japan
Approximate earthquake epicenter, near Tomioka, Japan

A tsunami warning was lifted about four hours after the quake. Tsunamis of about 1 to 1.4 meters were measured along the coast.

The area is home to Tepco's Daiichi nuclear plant, which was devastated in a March 2011 quake and tsunami. That quake was magnitude 9, the strongest in Japan on record.

The massive tsunami it triggered caused the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, in one of the world's most seismically active regions. It accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 6.9.

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