Quake strikes off northeast Japan

TOKYO: A strong earthquake struck off northeast Japan early Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

The USGS said the 6.1-magnitude undersea quake struck at 5:57 local time (1957 GMT Wednesday) at a depth of just 11.2 kilometres (seven miles), 190 kilometres east of Morioka on Honshu island.

There were no early reports of damage or casualties.

A massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake and following tsunami devastated northeast Japan on March 11, killing more than 13,000 people and leaving over 15,000 missing.

A number of strong aftershocks have shaken the country since then.

The Cabinet Office on Wednesday cut its assessment of the world's number three economy for the first time in six months, in light of last month's tectonic disaster.

It came a day after Japan's nuclear disaster was upgraded to the top level of seven -- the same "major accident" category as Chernobyl -- although officials stressed that far less radiation was released and no one had died from contamination.