Japan lifts tsunami advisory after quake
TOKYO – A magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan early Tuesday, triggering minor tsunamis but no reports of major damage or injuries.
The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted a tsunami advisory two hours after it was issued after the quake, which hit at 8 a.m. local time.
The quake’s epicenter was at a depth of about 6 miles. It shook much of northeast Japan and could be felt in Tokyo, 430 miles away.
Small tsunamis of up to 8 inches were recorded after the quake along the coast of Iwate prefecture, according to the agency, much smaller than the possible 13-foot tsunami mentioned in the advisory. Several smaller aftershocks were also reported in the area.
N. Korea threatens after D.C. snub
UNITED NATIONS – North Korea says it will respond “very strongly” to a conference in Washington on Tuesday about its widespread human-rights abuses and says the United States ignored Pyongyang’s offer to attend and defend itself. Puzzled conference organizers said the event was open to the public.
North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Jang Il Hun told reporters Monday his country has asked the U.S. government to “immediately scrap the so-called conference” hosted by the nonprofit Center for Strategic & International Studies. Speakers include Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human-rights issues.
Victor Cha, Korea chair at CSIS, said he was not sure what Jang was referring to. “We issued no specific invitations to anyone,” he said.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has been on the defensive ever since a groundbreaking U.N. commission of inquiry detailed vast rights abuses there. International pressure behind last year’s report led the U.N. Security Council to place the issue on its agenda of matters of international peace and security.
Associated Press
