The quake struck at 18:9 (local time) in the Pacific Ocean off the Miyagi region, at a depth of 60km. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami warning about 1 meter high.
Local officials are checking the situation at nuclear power plants in the region, and railway companies have halted service, including the shinkansen bullet train.
The US Geological Agency evaluated the 7-degree earthquake.
The earthquake and tsunami warning occurred shortly after Japan commemorated the 10th anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake disaster that brought about the tsunami and the incident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The double disaster then affected the northeastern part of Japan, including Miyagi.
Some coastal residents reported that they evacuated to higher areas after the warning was issued.
According to Takashi Yokota, an official at the Miyagi Regional Office for Disaster Management, there is currently no information on the damage.
“We have not received information on casualties or damage following the earthquake and tsunami warning. We are still monitoring the information,” he told AFP.
Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area shaped like a horseshoe stretching 40,000 km from Japan, Indonesia to California and South America on the other side of the Pacific. This is where tectonic plates collide, often subject to seismic and volcanic activity.
Due to frequent earthquakes, Japan enacts strict construction regulations to ensure buildings and structures can withstand strong shocks./.