5.5 Quake Hits Japan Days Before Disaster Anniversary
Published at
Jason Reed/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — A magnitude 5.5 quake struck Ibaraki, Japan early Saturday morning, just days before the country marks the one year anniversary of the March 11 disasters.
No tsunami warning was issued, and there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.
The latest quake comes on the heels of news that more than 10,000 tremors rocked Japan in the last year. The Japan Meteorological Agency says 70 percent were aftershocks from the magnitude 9.0 quake that killed nearly 20,000 people along the northeast coast, and triggered a tsunami and the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
More tremors are expected as tectonic plates underneath Japan continue to move the country eastward, according to scientists.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio