Magnitude 5.5 quake shakes Japan

Tokyo, January 28: A magnitude 5.5 earthquake rattled Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan on Saturday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The temblor was some 20 kilometres deep and hit at 7.43 a.m. local time (2243 GMT Friday), the Japanese earthquake-reporting agency said.

Last year, a magnitude 9 quake on March 11 and subsequent tsunami about 230 kilometres northeast of Tokyo left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing.

--Agencies