Shallow 5.7 Earthquake Hits Northern Japan

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and Japan`s meteorological agency said no tsunami warning was issued.

A shallow, strong earthquake of 5.7 magnitude hit the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Saturday morning local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter of the quake was 49 miles (79 km) southeast of Sapporo and just 3.6 miles (5.8 km) deep, it said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and Japan's meteorological agency said no tsunami warning was issued.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.