TOKYO, June 25 -- Prime Minister and His Cabinet issued the following information:

[Provisional translation]

[Opening Statement by Prime Minister Takaichi]

At approximately 7:30 a.m. today, an earthquake with its epicenter off the coast of Iwate Prefecture occurred, and strong tremors with a maximum seismic intensity of 6 upper were observed in Hashikami Town, Aomori Prefecture. There is no risk of a tsunami.

Immediately after the earthquake, the Government established an information contact office at the Prime Minister's Office Crisis Management Center and convened an emergency gathering team consisting of director-general-level officials from the relevant ministries and agencies. We are making every effort to assess the damage and imp...