6 magnitude quake strikes off tokyo, 17 injuries

A strong earthquake jolted Tokyo early Monday, rattling windows and nerves though there were no initial reports of major damage. National broadcaster NHK, citing local authorities, said 17 people were reported injured, some of them from falls as the quake struck, AP reported. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake at 5:18 am local time had a magnitude of 6.0 and was centered 160 kilometers under the seabed near Izu Oshima island South of Tokyo. The quake was felt across a wide area of Japan. In Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, it registered a 5, and a 4 in the other 23 wards, the agency reported. The national broadcaster NHK said it was the strongest quake felt in the Japanese capital since the aftershocks of a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 off the Northeastern coast that left more than 18,500 people dead or missing. There were no reports of damage or other abnormalities from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was crippled in the 2011 disasters, leading to the closures of all Japan’s nuclear reactors for safety checks. NHK reported some delays in train services Monday and said speed restrictions were imposed briefly on expressways in the affected area as a precaution.