6.7-magnitude quake hits Japan

Tokyo: An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale jolted Japan's Shizunai twon on Thursday, the US Geological Survey (US) said.The quake hit Japan at 3.25 GMT, Xinhua news agency reported. The quake has struck just off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan. No tsunami warning was issued.

No damage or injuries were immediately reported though heavy shaking was captured on camera footage shown on public broadcaster NHK. Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes.

But rigid building codes and strict enforcement protects the country against even powerful tremors. A massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast, killing more than 15,000 people and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Agencies