UPDATE1: M5.5 quake hits northeastern Japan, no tsunami warning issued

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 hit northeastern Japan on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the weather agency said.

The epicenter of the quake occurred around 3:21 p.m. off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture at a depth of about 50 kilometers, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The quake registered lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Aomori, it said.

No abnormalities were reported from Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Higashidori nuclear power plant and Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.'s nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, both in the prefecture.

==Kyodo

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