A tsunami warning had been declared earlier following the quake, which took place at 5:18 p.m. local time (12:18 p.m. Moscow time). The shock was felt as far away as the capital Tokyo and in 17 other prefectures.

Japan's national weather service had warned the quake could set off tsunamis of up to six feet in height. In other areas on the east coast of the main island of Honshu, waves of up to three feet could hit the shore, weather experts said.

Northeast Japan was hit by a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake and 46-foot tidal wave in March 2011, which sparked a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.