5.3 magnitude quake jolts northeastern Japan, no injuries

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale shook northeastern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. No tsunami warning was issued for the 7:46 a.m. (2246 Monday GMT) quake. The quake measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale and 7 in some areas in Aomori and Iwate prefectures, about 550 km northeast of Tokyo, according to the agency. The agency defines an intensity of 4 as capable of causing dishes and objects in shelves rattle. The Japanese scale measures how many places were shaken on the surface while the Richter scale measures the energy of the quake itself. The focus of the temblor was off the coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of about 70 km. Northeastern Japan was severely damaged in March 2011 by a magnitude 9. 0-quake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing.