Quake hits near the Ogasawara island chain south of Tokyo

The magnitude 6.9 quake on Saturday evening occurred in the Pacific Ocean west of the islands and its epicentre was very deep at 450 km below the sea surface, posing no danger of a tsunami.

A strong earthquake shook a Japanese island chain in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo on Saturday, but there was no danger of a tsunami and there were no reports of damage or injuries.

The magnitude 6.9 quake on Saturday evening occurred in the Pacific Ocean west of the Ogasawara island chain, at a location about 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The agency said the quake, whose epicentre was very deep at 450 km (280 miles) below the sea surface, posed no danger of a tsunami. The Ogasawara chain, made up of ancient undersea volcanoes and also called the Bonin islands, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.