A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in north-eastern Japan at 11.08pm local time (15.08 in Italy) with its epicenter 60 kilometers deep in the prefecture of Fukushima.
This was announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), which has not launched a tsunami warning.
The quake - which lasted for over a minute, was widely felt in the capital Tokyo.
At the moment, according to public TV NHK, there are no reports of damage to people or property
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has ordered the formation of a task force in his official residence, in the center of Tokyo, for the management of reports. Cabinet chief Katsunobu Kato, in a press point organized at midnight local time (16:00 in Italy), reported that 4 people were injured, while about 950,000 homes in Miyagi prefecture reported the power failure. Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) announced that no anomalies were recorded at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the scene of the triple catastrophe of March 2011, as well as in the reactor number 2 of the Tokai nuclear power plant, currently inactive, in Ibaraki prefecture , northeast of Tokyo. The Japanese premier has instructed local authorities to clarify any damage reported in the area and provide adequate assistance to residents.