M5.3 quake jolts northern Japan, no tsunami warning issued

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck northern Japan at 14:21 local time, but no tsunami warning has been issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said Wednesday.

The temblor struck at latitude of 42.0 degrees north and longitude of 141.0 degrees east and at a depth of 10 km, the agency said, with its epicenter located in Uchiura Bay in the southwestern part of Hokkaido.

The powerful jolt registered lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, in Hakodate city, in the region.

The quake was felt in numerous regions in the north, and registered lower 5 and 4 across areas both north and south of Hakodate.

As yet there have been no reports of damage or injury as result of the quake, according to local media reports.