Tokyo, January 11 (QNA) - An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale struck Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan Sunday.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 60 km, Japan's (Kyodo) News Agency reported.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued.

Japan lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

The Fukushima earthquake, which struck the country in March 2011, was one of the most devastating earthquakes to hit Japan in recent decades. It killed 18,000 people and caused a nuclear meltdown, considered the worst since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. (QNA)