LOC11:13
08:13 GMT
TOKYO, Jan 6 (KUNA) -- A series of powerful earthquakes struck western Japan on Tuesday, including a magnitude 6.4 temblor, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued for the 10:18 a.m. (0118 GMT) quake.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Shinkansen bullet train services between Okayama and Hiroshima stations were temporarily suspended due to a power outage following the quake, but resumed operations at around 1 p.m., JR West said. There were no impacts on nuclear power plant in the region, plant operators said.
The focus of the temblor was 11 km underground in eastern Shimane Prefecture, about 700 km west of Tokyo, the weather agency said. The quake registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Shimane and Tottori prefectures.
The weather agency defines an intensity of upper 5 as strong enough to make most dishes in a cupboard and most books on a bookshelf fall.
The government set up a liaison office at the Crisis Management Center in the Prime Minister's Office to assess the extent of the damage and take other measures.
At a press conference in Tokyo, a weather agency official warned that quakes of a similar scale could occur in the affected areas in the coming week. (end)
mkseo