5.2 magnitude quake jolts northeastern Japan, no injuries

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale shook northeastern Japan centering on Fukushima Prefecture on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. No tsunami warning was issued for the 12:02 p.m. (0302 GMT) quake. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant said there were no signs of abnormalities at the facilities from the quake. The focus of the temblor was 10 km from the surface in Fukushima Prefecture, about 250 km north of Tokyo. The quake measured 4 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 in some areas of Fukushima Prefecture, according to the agency. The agency defines an intensity of 4 as capable of causing dishes and objects in shelves rattle. The Japanese scale measures how much places were shaken on the surface while the Richter scale measures the energy of the quake itself. Northeastern Japan was severely damaged in March 2011 by a magnitude 9. 0-quake and tsunami that left some 19,000 people dead or missing and caused meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.