7.3 quake strikes off Japan; no tsunami threat

7.3 earthquake strikes near Japan

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Japanese agency cancels tsunami warnings and advisories
• NEW: It says sea levels may rise, but doesn't expect tsunami damage
• The quake struck early Saturday about 200 miles east of Japan's main island

(CNN) -- A 7.3 magnitude earthquake rumbled early Saturday in the Pacific Ocean about 200 miles east of Japan's main island, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for the Japanese coastal areas including the Fukushima prefecture, warning people to leave the coast."

The same organization canceled all such advisories and warnings a short time later.

Sea levels might change slightly in some coastal locales, but no damage from a tsunami was expected, according to the agency.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also said there was no widespread tsunami threat around the greater Pacific region.

Saturday's quake happened at about 2:10 a.m. local time, with an epicenter about 203 miles east-northeast of Tokyo, the USGS said. The quake hit at a depth of about six miles.

The Fukushima prefecture was where a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged several nuclear reactors in March 2011. More than 15,000 people were killed in that quake and tsunami, and material damage related to the incident was estimated to be about $300 billion.