MEGAQUAKE
Japan rocked by massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake as tremor strikes near isolated Russian islands
JAPAN has been rocked by a huge earthquake today which struck in waters off its north-east coast.
Tremors were felt on Hokkaido island but officials insisted there is no immediate threat of a tsunami.
The magnitude-seven quake was registered 60 miles south east of Russia's isolated Kuril Islands at 7.30pm local time at a depth of 100 miles.
There are 56 islands in the disputed chain, which separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the north Pacific Ocean, but most of them are minor rock formations.
They are part of what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire - an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin prone to frequent and large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
However, officials said the quake was unlikely to cause injuries or damage because of its depth and distance from the coast.
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The US Tsunami Warning System said there was also no threat to nearby Guam, Rota, Tinian or Saipan.
On Wednesday, Japan was also rattled by a 5.2-magnitude quake off the coast of Fukushima.
That struck just over 50 miles from the city where the nuclear disaster occurred nine years ago.
Witnesses said they had felt a 10-second long shake during the tremor at around 7.30pm local time.
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In 2011, Fukushima was the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami.
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