The US Geological Survey said that a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocked northern Japan on Sunday, although there were no early indications of damage.
At 6:55 PM (09:55 GMT), the earthquake struck the island of Hokkaido. There was no tsunami alarm, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
At a depth of 123 kilometres (76 miles), it hit just off the shore of Urakawa-cho town in the Hokkaido area, according to the USGS.
National broadcaster NHK said that no immediate reports of damage or casualties had been made.