A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern Japan coast at 9:57 a.m. (0057 GMT) local time Sunday, prompting the authorities to issue a tsunami warning for the northeastern coast.
The quake hit at a depth of 10 kilometers under the seabed and the epicenter is some 200 kilometers from the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan's meteorological agency said.
The temblor was clearly felt in Tokyo and many eastern cities and the bullet train service was temporarily halted in northeastern Japan, local media reports said.
There are no immediate reports of injuries and property damage.
A tsunami warning was issued for Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. A small tsunami of up to 50 centimeters was expected along the affected region, the meteorological agency said.
No abnormalities were reported by Tokyo Electric Power Co. at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants following the quake, the Kyodo news agency said.
The quake was registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in inland areas of northern Iwate Prefecture, across Miyagi Prefecture and parts of Fukushima Prefecture, Kyodo reported.
The movement measured 3 on the Japanese scale in other parts of the prefectures as well as some parts of Aomori, Akita and Yamagata prefectures.
A massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami devastated Japan's northeast coastline on March 11, leaving nearly 23,000 dead or missing and crippling a nuclear facility in Fukushima.
The quake hit at a depth of 10 kilometers under the seabed and the epicenter is some 200 kilometers from the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan's meteorological agency said.
The temblor was clearly felt in Tokyo and many eastern cities and the bullet train service was temporarily halted in northeastern Japan, local media reports said.
There are no immediate reports of injuries and property damage.
A tsunami warning was issued for Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. A small tsunami of up to 50 centimeters was expected along the affected region, the meteorological agency said.
The quake was registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in inland areas of northern Iwate Prefecture, across Miyagi Prefecture and parts of Fukushima Prefecture, Kyodo reported.
The movement measured 3 on the Japanese scale in other parts of the prefectures as well as some parts of Aomori, Akita and Yamagata prefectures.
A massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami devastated Japan's northeast coastline on March 11, leaving nearly 23,000 dead or missing and crippling a nuclear facility in Fukushima.
