A tsunami advisory has been issued in Japan, after a strong earthquake hit the country’s northern coast near the nuclear power plant crippled in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Public broadcaster NHK says the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant is checking if there is any damage from the quake.

The quake measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, and was detected 165km (103 miles) east of Iwaki city on the Japanese island of Honshu, according to the US Geological Survey.

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The quake was measured at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) and occurred at 1922 GMT, it said.

The 2011 disaster killed about 19,000 people. That disaster also triggered multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima plant.

More than 100,000 people are still unable to go home due to fear of radiation contamination from the plant.

Additional reporting agencies