TOKYO, July 23, 2011 (AFP) - A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan Saturday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, the weather agency said.

The quake happened at 1:34 pm (0434 GMT) off the Pacific coast of Miyagi prefecture, around the same area as the giant March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The depth of the quake was 40 kilometres (25 miles), it said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries but the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train service stopped operation due to the quake, according to local media.

The devastating March 11 disaster left about 22,000 people dead or missing and triggered an atomic crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.