(AFP)
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook eastern Japan on Wednesday night, killing at least four people and injuring more than 100 others.
The quake derailed an express train and caused cracks on several highways, and items fell on shelves at most supermarkets.
Residents and officials in the Northeast tried to assess the damage early Thursday morning after the quake struck just before midnight.
The epicenter was reported below the Pacific Ocean floor, however; no tsunami alert was issued.
But small earthquakes continued to hit the area throughout the night and Thursday morning.
Preliminary reports show that the damage was minimal in a country that adheres to strict building codes aimed at protecting against earthquakes, while officials said no defects were found at the nuclear facilities.
Government spokesman Hirokasu Matsuno said four deaths had been reported, but investigations were still ongoing to determine if they were directly related to the quake.
“Apart from the Onagawa nuclear power plant, we have received reports of no malfunctions at the Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima,” he added, adding that the facility was hit by a disaster in 2011 and two more in the region.
The epicenter was reported below sea level at 23:36 (1436 GMT) at a depth of 60 km from the Fukushima prefecture. Electricity provider TEPCO said it had also cut off power to more than two million homes, including 700,000 in Tokyo.
The epicenter was reported below the Pacific Ocean floor, however; no tsunami alert was issued.
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc on the east coast of Fukushima on March 11, 2011, killing at least 18,500 people or leaving one missing.
Japan is located in the “Ring of Fire” region where extreme seismic activity is recorded across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.