The latest jolt to hit the region, following Wednesday's 7.4-magnitude quake, struck at 7:49 am local time (2149 GMT Wednesday), 146 kilometres (91 miles) east of Chichi-shima in Japan's remote Bonin islands region, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

"It was the strongest aftershock since yesterday's earthquake," said Masahide Fujimaru, a village official on Chichi-shima island.

"But it was not strong enough to make things fall from shelves," Fujimaru told AFP by telephone. "There is no confusion and we have not received any information of damage or injuries."

Japan's meteorological agency said the latest quake will not create a major, widespread tsunami but warned that "there may be some change in sea level in a few hours".

Japan's agency has also warned strong aftershocks would continue "for the time being" in the region.

Scores of villagers on the remote Pacific archipelago -- known locally as the Ogasawara islands -- scrambled for higher ground Wednesday after the 7.4 quake sparked a tsunami alert.

The seabed tremor struck at 2:19 am, jolting people out of bed as loudspeakers blared across the Ogasawara islands and authorities warned of the risk of a two-metre (six-foot) high local tsunami.

The tsunami alert was later downgraded and all warnings were lifted five hours after the quake hit near the islands, some 1,000 kilometres south of Tokyo.

The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks measuring between 5.3 and 5.6 which continued into the morning.

About three hours after the quake, a 60-centimetre (two-feet) wave was monitored 700 kilometres away at Hachijo-jima, part of the Izu island chain that runs south of Tokyo, the meteorological agency said.

Waves of up to 20 centimetres also reached the southwestern Japanese main islands, the agency said.

The Ogasawara chain, made up of more than 30 subtropical and tropical islets some 240 kilometres north of Iwo Jima, were put under the control of the United States after World War II, and returned to Japan in 1968.

The remote islands have preserved their unique biological habitats and have been dubbed the "Galapagos of the Orient".

Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

In 1995 a magnitude-7.2 quake in the port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people. But high building standards, regular drills and a sophisticated tsunami warning system mean that casualties are often minimal.

earlier related report
Japan 7.4 seabed quake triggers evacuations before downgrade
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 22, 2010 - Scores of villagers on a remote Japanese island chain spent the night sheltering on higher ground after a major 7.4-magnitude quake early Wednesday sparked a tsunami alert that was later downgraded.

Waves of 30 centimetres (one foot) hit the shores of the Ogasawara islands, an archipelago with a population of about 2,300 some 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) south of Tokyo, near Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean.

The tremor, which struck at 2:19 am local time (1719 GMT Tuesday), jolted people out of bed as loudspeakers blared across the island villages and national authorities warned of the risk of a two-metre high local tsunami.

But the meteorological agency downgraded the alert to a warning of a maximum half-metre (20 inch) wave following the quake and eight aftershocks measuring between 5.3 and 5.6 that started some 20 minutes later and continued throughout the night.

"The alert was downgraded but the village continues to advise residents to stay evacuated," Koji Watanabe, a village official on Chichi-shima, one of the Ogasawara islands, told AFP by telephone.

"About 120 people are evacuated to higher places on Chichi-shima island and some 50 people on Haha-shima island as of 3:30 am," the official said.

Asked about whether there were reports on any damage or injuries, he said: "I'm not aware of any injuries."

The quake hit at a shallow depth of 14 kilometres, 153 kilometres (95 miles) east of Chichi-shima.

NHK reported a wave of 30 centimetres hit Hachijojima island, part of the Izu island chain that runs south of Tokyo, at 4:01 am while the meteorological agency said a wave of 60 centimentres was reported at the island 90 minutes later.

The Ogasawara chain, made up of more than 30 subtropical and tropical islets some 240 kilometres north of Iwo Jima, were put under the control of the United States after World War II, and returned to Japan in 1968.

The remote islands have preserved their unique biological habitats and have been dubbed the "Galapagos of the Orient".

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said after sounding the initial alert there was no threat of a destructive widespread tsunami and no nearby islands were thought to be in the tsunami danger zone.

But it warned in a bulletin shortly after the quake: "Earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 kilometres of the earthquake epicentre.

"Authorities in the region of the epicentre should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action."

Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

In 1995 a magnitude-7.2 quake in the port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.

But high building standards, regular drills and a sophisticated tsunami warning system mean that casualties are often minimal.

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