Magnitude 5.2 earthquake rocks southeast Japan

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake occurred early Wednesday in southeast Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported.

The quake was felt in 14 Japanese prefectures, with a maximum tremor of fourth level on the JMA 7-level seismic intensity scale registered in the prefectures of Miyazaki and Oita.

The epicenter of the quake, which hit the region at about 10:51 GMT, was located at a depth of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles), according to the agency.

No information about the damage or casualties was immediately available. A tsunami is not predicted.

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries.

In March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake started a tsunami that killed about 16,000 people in northeastern Japan and caused nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant which resulted in the largest nuclear catastrophe in the world since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

/By Trend/