The latest information from the USGS shows that the earthquake has a depth of 54 kilometers (34 miles). CNN teams in Tokyo felt the tremor.
A tsunami warning was issued earlier on Saturday, but has now been downgraded to a “tsunami forecast” of slight changes at sea level, a Japanese government website said. The US tsunami warning system says there is no tsunami warning, advice, surveillance or threat associated with the earthquake in Japan.
Firefighters in Miyagi jurisdiction, where Ishinomaki is located, have reported no damage from the quake, and nuclear reactors in eastern and northeastern Japan are safe, according to the Japan Times, a Japanese-language English daily.
Japan experienced a deadly earthquake a decade ago that caused the worst nuclear disaster in the country. More than 20,000 people have died or disappeared, and a tsunami with waves of 30 feet has damaged several nuclear reactors in the area.
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated, and authorities have spent the past 10 years clearing the area – a massive effort that experts say will take decades.
A strong earthquake that struck Japan last month was a replica of the 2011 event, according to the National Meteorological Agency.