TOKYO, March 9, 2011 (From AFP) - A major 7.3-magnitude offshore earthquake rattled Japan on Wednesday, swaying Tokyo buildings, triggering a small tsunami and reminding the nation of the ever-present threat of seismic disaster. Police reported no casualties or property damage, and operators of nuclear power plants and Shinkansen bullet trains quickly gave the all-clear, while the wave hitting the Pacific coast measured just 60 centimetres (24 inches).The tremor struck in the late morning about 160 kilometres (100 miles) offshore and 430 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres beneath the Pacific seafloor, authorities said.The state Meteorological Agency issued a coastal tsunami advisory just a few minutes after the quake, but lifted it three hours later. Television channels immediately cancelled their programming to transmit information on the quake and the tsunami alert.It soon became clear the quake had left Japan unscathed, but it was yet another uncomfortable reminder that the threat of "the Big One" is a reality of daily life.Japan is located on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" and dotted with volcanoes, and Tokyo is in one of its most dangerous areas. The mega-city sits on the intersection of three continental plates -- the Eurasian, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates -- which are slowly grinding against each other, building up enormous seismic pressure.

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