Moderate earthquake hits Japan

A moderate earthquake jolted central and western Japan today, injuring two people, but there were no other reports of major damage…

A moderate earthquake jolted central and western Japan today, injuring two people, but there were no other reports of major damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

An official at Kameyama City, one of the sites hardest hit by the magnitude 5.3 quake, told public broadcaster NHK there had been reports of roof tiles falling from houses, but no power outage or disruption to the water system.

The focus of the tremor was 10 km below the surface of the earth, in Mie Prefecture, about 300 km west of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Kyodo news agency said two people in Kameyama were injured after a part of a ceiling fell in a building.

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Kameyama is home to Sharp Corp.'s flagship liquid crystal display factory and the region is often called "Crystal Valley" because there are numerous LCD parts and materials suppliers located there to feed into the Sharp plant.

A Sharp spokesman in Tokyo said he had no information on any possible impact from the quake on its plant.

The high speed bullet train service was briefly halted for checks but resumed service, public broadcaster NHK said, while Kyodo news agency said some highways were also closed for inspections.

Late last month, a 6.9-magnitude quake struck the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, about 300 km west of Tokyo, killing one person, injuring more than 200 people and destroying many homes.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.