The quake hit at 12.24 pm local time (0324 GMT), 337 kilometres (210 miles) west northwest of Chichi-shima in Japan's remote Bonin island region at a depth of 478 kilometres. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The USGS originally said the quake was magnitude 6.9, but later revised its figure.

Japan's meteorological agency also said the focus was off the west coast of the same chain of islands in the Pacific, known in Japan as the Ogasawara islands, 808 kilometres south of Tokyo.

Even so, the quake swayed buildings in the capital.

Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

But high building standards, regular drills and a sophisticated tsunami warning system mean that casualties are often minimal.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Nearly 100 children hurt in China school stampede: report S.Korea activists urge rescue of dogs left on shelled island Seven killed as bridge collapses in China Chaotic quake-hit Haiti votes for a new leader Columbia Engineering Team Discovers Graphene Weakness New Way To Patch Holes in The Data Cloud Branson launches glossy iPad magazine, 'Project' Thales announces venture for Chinese in-flight systems Water Resources Played Important Role In Patterns Of Human Settlement US environmentalists urge bluefin tuna boycott Freshwater Mussels Discovered In Urban Delaware River Bluefin tuna gets scant relief at fisheries meet Jack Pine Genetics Support A Coastal Glacial Refugium US designates 'critical' polar bear habitat in Arctic Operation IceBridge Completes Another Successful Antarctic Campaign Delayed ice threatening Canada polar bears Gene Transfer From Transgenic Crops: A More Realistic Picture Predatory Bugs Can Save Cornfields Argentina, China sign 'historic' farm trade deals Australia admits defeat on 90-year NZealand apple ban Flooding leaves deadly trail of destruction in Venezuela 6.6 magnitude quake near Japanese islands: USGS NASA Compares Rainfall of 2010 and 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season Rainfall Indonesia closes airport as volcano rumbles: official Guinea closes borders New north-south war in Sudan would cost 100 bln dlrs: study South says six wounded in Sudan army attack Niger air force chief held for plotting: government Apes Unwilling To Gamble When Odds Are Uncertain Jet-Lagged And Forgetful? It's No Coincidence Single drop of blood could reveal age Study Reveals Neural Basis Of Rapid Brain Adaptation