Strong shallow earthquake hits off Japan's northeast coast, no tsunami threat

A strong earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan late on Thursday, with authorities saying there was no need to worry about a tsunami.

The 6.4 magnitude quake occurred at 11.18pm local time off the Sanriku coast, east of Iwate Prefecture, at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometres, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The German Research Centre for Geosciences put the magnitude at 6.2.

Morioka in Iwate recorded the strongest shaking at intensity 4 on the Japanese scale. Tremors were also felt in Hakodate in Hokkaido and parts of Aomori Prefecture at intensity 3.

The JMA said slight sea level changes could occur along Japan's coast but no damage was expected.

The quake came a day after the Japanese government held its first meeting with the Tokyo metropolitan government to discuss disaster preparedness for a potential eruption of Mount Fuji, drawing attention to natural disaster risks in the region.