Dozens injured in Japan earthquake

Dozens of people were injured on Saturday after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of eastern Japan, the country's Kyodo news agency reported.

The epicenter of the quake was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 60 kilometers (36 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Authorities said that there was no danger of a tsunami. 

Journalist Kurmui Mori said on Twitter that the earthquake felt longer than 30 seconds. "It started with sideways shaking, then turned into up and down shaking. I’ve never felt that before," she said. 

Nuclear facilities checked

Authorities said that there were no reported irregularities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, or any other nuclear facilities, according to NHK.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) confirmed the same on Twitter later. 

People in Tokyo and Miyagi reportedly felt the shaking of the earthquake, which took place at around 11:08 p.m. local time (1408 UTC).

At least 850,000 households experienced power blackouts, local media reported. 

Some trains in northeastern Japan stopped running, while a highway in Fukushima was blocked by a landslide, according to NHK.

One mobile network carrier, NTT Docomo, said that its service was temporarily limited. Other network carriers and landlines said that they did not experience any disruptions.   

In March 2011, Fukushima and other areas in the northeast of the country were hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami, leading the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to suffer core meltdowns.

At that time, more than 18,500 people died in the floods.

fb/mm (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)