A strong magnitude 6.1 quake hit off the east coast of Japan early Thursday but authorities did not issue a tsunami warning. Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year. But rigid building codes and strict enforcement of them mean even strong tremors typically do little damage. A massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami crashing into Japan's northeast coast, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. The company Tokyo Electric is trying to clean up and dismantle the reactors in a process expected to last decades.

Source: New Strait Times September 20, 2017 18:00 UTC