Northern Japan rattled by earthquake, rated 6.9

TOKYO (AP) -- A pair of strong earthquakes have hit Japan and triggered a tsunami, but they've not been close to the scale of last year's disasters.

The U.S. Geological Survey gives the first quake a magnitude of 6.9. It struck the southern coast of the island of Hokkaido, causing a small tsunami. But the largest swell measured just 8 inches, and tsunami advisories were lifted within about 90 minutes.

About three hours later, a magnitude-6.1 quake shook buildings in Tokyo.

There have been no reports of damage or injuries. Operators of Japan's nuclear power plants are reporting no abnormalities. Most of them are offline for safety inspections.

Sunday marked the first anniversary of the massive magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami that left some 19,000 people dead or missing and wreaked widespread damage along Japan's northeast coast. It also triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.