A magnitude 5.5 earthquake, which measured a weak 5 on the shindo (intensity) scale, was detected at a depth of 50 kilometers off eastern Aomori Prefecture, on Thursday at 3:21 p.m.
This earthquake poses no tsunami risk, the Meteorological Agency reported on its website.
Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd., the operator of a plant that reprocesses spent nuclear fuels in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, confirmed on its website that no damage occurred at facilities at the plant.
Furthermore, monitoring devices within the plant’s compound showed no rise in radiation levels, the company reported.
The plant, which has been under construction, was not in operation at the time of the quake.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. said it has found no abnormalities at its nuclear power plant in Higashidori, northeastern Aomori Prefecture. The quake caused no power outages, the company said on its Twitter account.
According to the Meteorological Agency, the quake registered a weak 5 on the shindo scale of 7 at Hashikami, an eastern Aomori town near the Pacific Ocean.
Shindo 4 was registered in nearby areas — Hachinohe, Misawa, Oirase, Sannose, Gonohe and Aomori Nanbu — in the same prefecture, as well as Kuji, Ninohe, Karumai, Iwate Hirono and Ichinohe in Iwate Prefecture.
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