A magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck northern Japan on Tuesday, the meteorological agency said.
No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The agency said the quake struck at 8 pm (1100 GMT) and was centred off Iwate prefecture, at a depth of 10 km.
About 19,000 people died or went missing after a magnitude-9 earthquake and resulting tsunami ravaged north—eastern Japan on March 11, 2011.
The disaster triggered the nation’s worst nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which went into meltdown.