A strong earthquake measuring 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale struck southern Peru near Arequipa early Tuesday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake struck at a depth of 74 kilometers (46 miles) in a mountainous region 53 kilometers (33 miles) north-northwest of Arequipa and 721 kilometers (448 miles) southeast of Lima, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the Geophysical Institute of Peru, which put the quake at 5.5 on the Richter scale.

More than 60 quakes have been felt in Peru so far this year, the institute said.

Earthquake jolts southern Japan
A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook southern Japan on Tuesday, the country's meteorological agency said, but there was no risk of a tsunami and no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The tremor, which struck at 4:42 pm (0742 GMT), jolted areas around Japan's southernmost island of Okinawa, the agency said.

The epicentre was located in the waters off Okinawa's main island, at a depth of 50 kilometres (30 miles).

Japan experiences 20 percent of the world's major earthquakes. A powerful quake in the northern prefecture of Miyagi on June 13 killed 12 people.