TOKYO, Aug 21: An earthquake registering 5.0 on the Richter scale rattled northern Japan on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said.

The quake hit Niigata, 200 kilometres north of Tokyo, at 11:29 am (0229 GMT) with its epicentre at a depth of only five kilometres, the meteorological agency said, adding that there was no risk of tsunamis.

The Niigata region was hit by a powerful quake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, and hundreds of aftershocks last October, leaving 39 people dead and more than 3,000 injured.

Japan endures 20 per cent of the world’s earthquakes, and buildings are designed with the aim of withstanding the frequent tremors.

Last week a quake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit off Japan’s Pacific coast in northern Miyagi, injuring 60 people, swaying towering buildings and shutting down Japan’s bullet trains.—AFP