Near the northeastern part of Japan, in the region of Fukushima, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale was recorded, AFP reported.
No tsunami warning has been issued.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries after the quake, whose epicentre was at a depth of 40 km and which was also felt in Tokyo.
TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, said "no anomalies" were found at the affected plant or at other plants in the region.
Japan, one of the most tectonically active countries in the world, has strict building standards that ensure structures can withstand even the most powerful earthquakes.
The archipelago, home to about 125 million people, experiences about 1,500 earthquakes each year, most of them weak.
The US Geological Survey put the earthquake's magnitude at 6.1, with a depth of 40.1 km.
It comes a day after a powerful earthquake in Taiwan killed at least 9 people and injured more than 1,000.
Japan's largest earthquake on record was a powerful 9.0-magnitude undersea quake in March 2011 off Japan's northeastern coast that triggered a tsunami that left about 18,500 people dead or missing.
The 2011 disaster also led to the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, causing the worst post-war disaster in Japan and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl./BGNES
