TOKYO - A moderate earthquake jolted Tokyo and nearby areas early Thursday, waking residents from their beds and triggering a series of aftershocks.
The earthquake measured 5.3 with its epicentre located 30 kilometres (20 miles) below sea level and off the coast of Chiba prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
It struck at 4:15 am (1915 GMT Wednesday), swaying buildings in central Tokyo and neighbouring China.
"We have no reports of damage from the quake ... although one person was slightly injured" in Chiba prefecture, local police said, referring to a man aged 29 who was asleep when a light fighting fell on his face.
Train services were also briefly disrupted.
The tremor was followed by several aftershocks.
"We may not have to worry about the possibility of a huge quake but seismic activity has become relatively vigorous around the area," an official at the meteorological agency said.
Japan experiences some 20 percent of the world's powerful earthquakes. An earthquake last month in central Japan registered 6.8 and killed 11 people.
08/15/2007 23:50 GMT