5.6 magnitude quake jolts northern Japan

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - A 5.6 magnitude earthquake jolted northern Japan on Thursday.

The quake originated off Aomori prefecture at 1.17 a.m. Friday local time (1617GMT) at a depth of 61.6 kilometers (38.2 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

There were no tsunami alerts issued or any damage reported.

Earlier this month, a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan.