A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck central Japan early today, with minor initial waves of tsunami observed in the region, the meteorological agency said.
The quake hit at 5:07 am (0137 IST) at a depth of 20 kilometres in the Pacific off Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo, the Agency said.
"I felt both strong horizontal and vertical shaking," Atsushi Imai, a city official at Izu, eastern Shizuoka, told Japan's public broadcaster NHK.
"It was so strong that I have never experienced before," Imai said. "Light objects fell from shelves. I have not seen signs of any major damage for now."
As an observed tsunami, the ocean surface surged by some 40 centimetres at Omaezaki, Shizuoka, the weather agency said.
The Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka made an immediate halt at operating two nuclear reactors due to the quake, the Chubu Electric Power Co. Said.
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"The reactor number four and five made an emergency stop. No abnormalities are seen at the plant," said a company official.
The quake also rocked buildings in Tokyo, but no damage was reported in the capital.