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Magnitude 6.5 quake hits off east coast of Japan

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-13 09:49

TOKYO: A magnitude-6.5 earthquake hit off Japan's eastern coast early Thursday, the country's Meteorological Agency said.

Related readings:  Strong quake hits eastern Japan, injuring 110  7.6-magnitude quake hits in Indian Ocean  Strong quake strikes southwest of Tokyo  9 killed as Typhoon Etau hits western Japan  6 dead, 8 missing due to heavy rain, mudslides in Japan

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The agency said there was no danger of damage from a tsunami.

The quake hit at 7:49 am (1049 GMT) off the coast of Hachijo, a small island about 170 miles (275 kilometers) south of Tokyo, at a depth of 25 miles (40 kilometers).

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and experts believe Tokyo has a 90 percent chance of being hit by a major quake over the next 50 years.

In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.