Earthquake of 5.3 magnitude strikes Japan

An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 jolted Japan's Kurio region on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake struck 54 km SW of Kurio, Japan, at a depth of 14.3km. According to USGS, the earthquake's location was found to be at 29.995°N and 129.957°E, respectively.

No casualties have been reported yet, as further details are awaited.

On May 11, an earthquake of magnitude 5.2 on the Richter Scale left several people injured after hitting areas surrounding Tokyo Bay early in the day, reported Kyodo News.

According to the Japanese weather agency and local authorities, the earthquake was also witnessed in areas including Chiba Prefecture and downtown Tokyo.

The agency also stated that the first earthquake at 4.16 am registered an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Kisarazu and a lower 5 in Kimitsu, both in Chiba Prefecture, and a 4 in areas including Tokyo's Chiyoda. However, no warning for a tsunami was issued.

The Japanese weather agency defined the upper 5 as a situation where it becomes difficult for many people to walk. Since March 2012, it was the first time that Chiba Prefecture was shaken by an upper-5 earthquake, according to Kyodo News.

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