A tsunami warning was issued after a magnitude-6.7 earthquake rattled northeast Japan morning, but has since been lifted.
It was the same area of the Pacific where a massive magnitude 9 quake hit on March 11, triggering a deadly tsunami. At least 23,000 people were killed or left missing in those disasters, which destroyed hundreds of homes, offices and factories in northeastern Japan.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Iwate Prefecture.
The US Pacific Tsunami warning centre said that it did not expect a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the quake that hit at 6:50am (local time).
It was offshore from Honshu island, and was 524km northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said. The quake was 32km deep.
