Strong Earthquake Jolts Tokyo Area
Date: 29-Mar-06
Country: JAPAN
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
The quake, which struck at 10:33 p.m. (1333 GMT), was felt most strongly north of the capital.
The epicentre of the tremor was about 410 km (255 miles) below the seabed in the Pacific Ocean south of Japan's main island of Honshu, the agency said.
The quake originated about 430 km (270 miles) off the coast of Tokyo, Kyodo news service said.
The quake's deep focus meant the effect on the Japanese mainland was limited. The area most affected, north of Tokyo, registered readings of up to 3 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 but there were no reports of injuries or damage there.
The magnitude of the earthquake was measured according to a technique similar to the Richter scale, but adjusted for Japan's geological characteristics.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 40 people and injuring more than 3,000.
That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.