Magnitude 5.0 Quake Hits Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture - Meteorological Agency

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake has occurred in the Ibaraki Prefecture of Japan, near the capital city of Tokyo, the country's Meteorological Agency reported on Sunday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) —The earthquake struck at around 04:24 GMT, the epicenter was located at the depth of around 40 kilometers (24.8 miles), the agency reported.

Japan is a seismically active region. In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake triggered a 46-foot tsunami that hit Japan's Fukushima nuclear power, leading to the leakage of radioactive materials and the shutdown of the plant. The accident is considered to be the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.