Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 shook Tokyo and Yokohama at 1:06 a.m. today, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake registered a maximum of 4 on the seven-level Japanese intensity scale in Yokohama and a level of 3 in Tokyo and parts of nearby Chiba prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its Web site.

The earthquake was centered about 40 kilometers (25 miles) underground, near the east coast of Honshu, Japan's biggest island, about 100 miles northeast of Tokyo, the U.S. organization reported on its Web site.

A tremor that registers in the 4 range on the meteorological agency's intensity scale rattles shelves and can topple loose objects. It isn't strong enough to cause major damage or casualties.

To contact the reporter for this story: Ron Rhodes in Tokyo at at Rrhodes3@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 7, 2005 17:55 EDT