The earthquake affected the northern island of Hokkaido but no injuries or significant damage have been reported.

No tsunami warning was issued. There were no reports of problems at the nuclear plants in the area or of disruptions to power supply or bullet trains running in northern Japan.

The quake, which hit at 6:55pm (09:55 GMT), was 140km (87 miles) deep and struck the southwestern part of Hokkaido, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

It shook much of the island, including the cities of Chitose and Atsuma, the agency said.

Parts of northern Honshu, the nation’s biggest island where Tokyo is located, were also rattled, although the nation’s capital was not affected.

An earthquake-prone nation

Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations and is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity across the Pacific basin.

In March 2011, the country was hit by a massive magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake off its northeast. The quake triggered a tsunami that left about 18,500 people dead or missing. It also caused a major incident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

In March 2022, a powerful earthquake hit northeastern Japan, shaking buildings some 275km (171 miles) away in Tokyo and leaving hundreds of thousands without power, including in the capital. Three people died and more than 100 were injured.

In May 2023, a powerful, magnitude 6.5 earthquake left at least one person dead, damaged buildings and injured more than 20 people.