ISTANBUL

A strong earthquake hit Japan on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake, near the west coast of Honshu island, hit the country at around 2.42 p.m. (0842GMT), according to the USGS.

However, the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.3 that rocked Ishikawa province and surrounding areas of central Japan, Kyodo News reported.

There was no threat of a tsunami, the weather agency added.