5.9-magnitude earthquake hits off Japan's Hokkaido

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido today. The US Geological Survey said, the quake hit at a depth of eight kilometres and 107 kilometres northeast of Shibetsu. There is no report of any casualty, injury or damage, so far.

In



September, a 6.6-magnitude quake had rocked Hokkaido, triggering landslides, collapsing houses and killing more than 40 people.Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year.