Strong earthquake strikes off coast of Japan — USGS

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck off the coast of Japan on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake, which hit 85 km ( 53 miles) northeast of the island of Honshu, but Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a warning for a 0.2-1.0 meter tsunami along the north west coast of the main island.

In a separate report, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines from this earthquake.

In the report posted by the Agence France-Presse, Japan issued a tsunami advisory on Tuesday after a strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the northwest of the country.

Officials immediately stopped bullet train services in the region as a precautionary measure, according to public broadcaster NHK, which also said around 200 households were without power.

The meteorological agency said some waves were expected to have already reached some coastlines of Yamagata and Niigata, in the northwest of the country.

NHK said no abnormality was monitored at nuclear power plants near the epicenter.

The quake registered six on the Japanese scale, which goes up to seven.

Japan lifted a tsunami advisory early Wednesday hours after a strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the country, but there were no immediate reports of damages or serious injuries.

The nation's meteorological agency lifted it at 1:02 am (1402 GMT Tuesday) after only small ripples of 10 centimeters were monitored on the coast of the Sea of Japan, north of Tokyo.

Japan sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where many of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.

Last June, a deadly tremor rocked the Osaka region, killing five people and injuring over 350.

On March 11, 2011, a devastating 9.0-magnitude quake struck under the Pacific Ocean, and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and claimed thousands of lives. — Reuters/Agence France-Presse/BAP, GMA News