7.1-magnitude earthquake hits off Japanese coast, near Fukushima

The tremor struck late on Saturday night, local time

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 has struck off the coast of the Japanese coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency has confirmed. The tremor's epicentre was off the coast of Fukushima and struck at 23:13 JMT (14:13 GMTR). Though a tsunami warning has not been issued, The Japan Times reports that people living near coastal areas are being encouraged to move to higher ground as a precaution. The quake strikes nearly a decade to the day of the one which sparked the Fukushima nuclear disaster. On that occasion, the tremor had a magnitude of 9.1 and lasted six minutes, making it the largest in Japanese history. It also triggered a tsunami which exceeded heights of 40 metres. It claimed the lives of 15,899 people, and was also responsible for a further 6157 injuries.