5.3-magnitude quake strikes off coast of Japan's Miyagi Prefecture, no tsunami warning issued

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck off the coast of Japan's Miyagi Prefecture on Wednesday, the weather agency here said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which occurred at 12:13 a.m. local time, was centered off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, with its epicenter at a latitude of 37.9 degrees north and a longitude of 143.8 degrees east, and at depth of 5.3 km.

The earthquake logged 3 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7 in some areas of Miyagi Prefecture, the JMA said.

There has been no reports so far of major damages or injuries as a result of the offshore quake, and no tsunami warning has been issued by the JMA.