An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has shaken eastern Japan near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant but no tsunami warning has been issued.
Japan's Meteorological Agency reports the quake jolted the plant at around 12:20 p.m. local time (0320 GMT) Thursday but did not cause any further problems at the power station.
No tsunami was expected and there were no immediate reports of damage, the agency says.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), said the stricken plant remained stable.
The latest earthquake comes as Japan continues to grapple with its ongoing nuclear crisis caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
A destructive 9-magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami struck Japan's northern coasts in March 2011, setting off a nuclear crisis by knocking out power to cooling systems of reactors at the Fukushima plant, causing radioactive leaks.
In a recent report, the Japanese government said dismantling the damaged Fukushima plant will take around 40 years.
