A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 hit off the coast of eastern Japan, shaking buildings and triggering widespread blackouts.
The epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 60 km (36 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
But there appeared to be no major damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
The quake hit off of Fukushima just weeks before the 10-year anniversary of the March 11, 2011 quake that devastated northeast Japan and triggered a massive tsunami that led to the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter of a century.
Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.