TOKYO: A strong earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan for a third consecutive day early Sunday though there were no immediate reports of people injured or damage.
The shallow 6.0 magnitude quake hit at 00:58 am (1558 GMT Saturday) 170 kilometres (105 miles) east-northeast of Miyako city, the US Geological Survey said. It was followed by a 5.3 aftershock.
There was no threat of a tsunami following the quake, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, which measured it at a slightly lower 5.9 magnitude.
The tremors came seven hours after another 6.0 magnitude quake struck the same area on Saturday and also followed a 5.3 magnitude jolt which hit due east of Miyako on Friday.
Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year, but rigid building codes and their strict enforcement mean even strong tremors often do little damage.
A massive undersea quake however that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
