5.3-magnitude earthquake hits near Tokyo: JMA

TOKYO -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 on Friday struck Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa, south of Tokyo, local weather agency said.

The temblor occurred at 7:57 pm local time, measuring lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

At a depth of 10 km, the epicenter was located off the western Kanagawa prefecture at a latitude of 35.4 degrees north and a longitude of 139.2 degrees east, said the JMA.

The tremor was strongly felt in Tokyo and Saitama prefecture, with no tsunami warning issued.