A strong earthquake registering magnitude 5.3 jolted Kanto region areas in Saitama and Tochigi prefectures at 9:08 a.m. on Thursday.
No tsunami warning was issued.
The quake, which triggered quake alarms in Tokyo and neighboring areas, measured a low 5 on the Japanese shindo scale of intensity.
The earthquake was felt across the Kanto region, measuring shindo 4 in Ibaraki Prefecture, some areas in Gunma Prefecture and most of Saitama Prefecture, and shindo 3 across Tokyo and certain parts of Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake’s epicenter was in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, at a depth of about 50 kilometers.
Hiroyuki Sanada, an official at the Nuclear Regulation Authority, said “no abnormality” had been reported at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant in Ibaraki, which was halted for safety checks.
According to the Tokyo Electric Power Company, no power outages were reported on its grid.
Public broadcaster NHK said that due to a power outage caused by the earthquake, JR East suspended the Tohoku Shinkansen on the upper and lower lines between Tokyo Station and Shin-Aomori Station but has since resumed its operation.
Information from AFP-JIJI added