A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 has jolted northern Japan, but there was no threat of a tsunami from the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Public broadcaster NHK said one building was on fire in the area after the quake, and the broadcaster's fixed cameras showed fire engines driving through the streets towards the scene of the blaze. There were no more details immediately available about the extent of the fire.
The focus of the tremor was 120 km (75 miles) below the surface of the earth in Iwate prefecture.
Reuters