A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit northern Japan on Tuesday, Japan's national broadcaster NHK said citing local meteorologists.
The tremor occurred just one hundred miles from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which was crippled by a powerful quake and ensuing tsunami earlier in March.
The epicenter of the new quake was registered at a depth of 18.2 kilometers (11.3 miles). No tsunami warning was issued after the latest earthquake.
Aftershocks continue to rock Japan after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami shook the country on March 11. The confirmed death count in the devastating twin disaster is over 11,000 while more than 16,000 people are still missing.
The March 11 quake also triggered a number of explosions at the coastal Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant causing radiation leaks and evacuation of tens of thousands of residents within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the plant.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Tuesday that the quake, tsunami and the nuclear accident were the biggest crises for Japan in decades and could cost the country up to $310 billion in damages.
Meanwhile, fears of new strong quakes in Japan remain as the whole Pacific region continues to experience abnormally high seismic activity.
Russian seismologists registered on Tuesday a 4.1-magnitude quake near the Kuril Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan. No tsunami warning was issued by Russian authorities.
The islands, as well as Japan, lie on the so-called Ring of Fire, a ring of earthquake and volcanic zones around the Pacific Rim where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.
MOSCOW, March 29 (RIA Novosti)
