Mild earthquake jars northeastern Japan

A mild earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 shook northeastern Japan early Monday, but no tsunami alert has been issued.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck at 7:20 a.m. local time in northern and southern Miyagi Prefecture and parts of Fukushima Prefecture to the south.

It said the quake originated about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) underground in the Pacific off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, AP reported. V.A.