TOKYO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 struck off Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan on Tuesday, the country's weather agency said.
The temblor occurred at 2:38 p.m. local time (0538 GMT) off Aomori's Pacific coast at a depth of 20 km, measuring 3 on Japan's seismic scale of 7 in Hakodate City, Hokkaido Prefecture, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The quake's epicenter was located at a latitude of 40.9 degrees north and a longitude of 143.1 degrees east.
No tsunami advisory was issued.
A week-long alert regarding the increased risk of another strong earthquake was lifted at midnight Monday after a 7.5-magnitude temblor struck northern and northeastern Japan on Dec. 8, but JMA officials urged people to remain cautious. ■
