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Strong 6.0-magnitude quake hits western Japan


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

The quake struck at 5:33 am (2033 GMT on Friday) near Awaji island in the Seto Inland Sea southwest of the city of Kobe at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), the agency said.

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

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.





