LEAD: M4.8 earthquake hits Noto region, Ishikawa Prefecture

(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

A fairly strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 hit Ishikawa Prefecture and surrounding areas in central Japan on Wednesday morning in an apparent aftershock of the strong 6.9 magnitude quake that hit the same area Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The 8:08 a.m. quake registered a lower 5 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 in the city of Wajima in Ishikawa's Noto region, the agency said.

No tsunami warning was issued over the latest quake.

The region has experienced aftershocks since Sunday's quake that registered an upper 6 on the Japanese intensity scale and left one person dead and more than 200 injured.

The center of the latest quake was in the Noto region and about 10 kilometers underground, the agency said.