6.8 earthquake off Japan; Fukushima nuclear plants safe
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A shallow, magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck early Saturday 79 miles from Namie, Japan, in the Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
An 8-inch tsunami reached the coast of Ishinomaki Ayukawa about 50 minutes after the quake and smaller waves were observed at two other locations along the coast, the Associated Press reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had said earlier in the day that although there may be a slight sea-level change in coastal regions, no tsunami damage was expected and a tsunami advisory for the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region has since been canceled.
An early warning system gave some users in Japan notice before the shaking started, a Los Angeles Times reporter in Japan noted.
The quake struck not far from the Fukushima nuclear power plant that was crippled in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
“There is no abnormality in the reactors and the other monitoring measurements at Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Station” as a result of the quake, Mayumi Yoshida, of the Tokyo Electric Power Co., told The Times by email.
The temblor occurred at 4:22 a.m. Saturday. The depth was recorded at 8.1 miles.
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