TOKYO, March 28: A strong earthquake of preliminary magnitude six struck off the Pacific coast of Japan on Tuesday night, the country’s Meteorological Agency said. No danger of a tsunami was reported, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake was centred about 410 kilometres under the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo, the agency said.

It struck at about 10:33am and was only weakly felt in eastern Japan, the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo city government released a revised estimate on Tuesday saying that a 7.3 magnitude earthquake centred directly below the capital could kill 5,600 people and leave millions stranded.

The revised estimate was 900 higher than the previous figure released in February, said Tokyo city government spokesman Yasushi Ono.

He said experts had previously underestimated how many deaths would be caused by falling objects, collapsed walls and other factors.

About 4.48 million people would be unable to go home for an unspecified period because of damage to roads and railway tracks, Ono said, adding that the revised estimates would be used to draw up disaster prevention steps by early next year.

With about 35 million residents, the Tokyo metropolitan area is home to nearly one-fourth of Japan’s population.

A quake with an estimated magnitude of 8.3 hit the city in 1923, killing 142,000 people.

Powerful quakes in 1703, 1782, 1812 and 1855 also caused considerable damage in

Tokyo.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake killed more than 6,400 in Kobe in 1995.—AP