A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Japan on Thursday (Jun 25), the country's weather agency said, adding that there was no tsunami warning.

There were no immediate reports of major damage.

The quake occurred off the northern region of Iwate, with the depth of the epicentre at 50km, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

One local woman in the town of Hashikami, where the shaking was strongest, told AFP that the only damage in her home was a photo frame falling down.

Footage on public broadcaster NHK showed regular traffic in Hachinohe city with traffic lights still functioning as normal.

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire".

The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences hundreds of jolts every year and accounts for about 18 per cent of the world's earthquakes.

The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth's surface at which they strike.

It is haunted by the memory of a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake in 2011, which triggered a tsunami that killed or left missing around 18,500 people and wrecked the Fukushima nuclear plant.

On Apr 20 this year, a tremor measuring 7.7 hit the country's north in Pacific waters off Iwate prefecture.

This prompted authorities to issue a special advisory on Monday warning of an increased risk of earthquakes of magnitude 8.0 or stronger.

The advisory was lifted after a week.

Source: AFP
– Agencies