Strong 6.0 magnitude quake hits western Japan, officials

TOKYO: A strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit western Japan early on Saturday but there was no risk of a tsunami, the country's meteorological agency reported.

The quake struck at 5.33am (local time) near Awaji island in the Seto Inland Sea southwest of the city of Kobe at a relatively shallow depth of 10km, the agency said.

The US Geological Survey also measured the tremor at 6.0 but at a even shallower depth of five km.

Local train services were suspended to check safety, while Kansai airport in Osaka Bay was temporarily closed, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said.

At least two people were injured and the wall of a house was damaged, NHK said.

The epicentre was close to the 1995 Kobe quake that struck the port city, killing more than 6,000 people.

Kansai Electric Power said there was nothing untoward at its Oi nuclear power plant, currently the only one in Japan with reactors online.

"Our operation has continued as we haven't monitored any abnormality, but we are still checking if there is any damage to the facilities," a plant official said.