A strong earthquake with a 7.7 preliminary magnitude occurred off of northern quake occurred off the coast of Sanriku at around 4:53 p.m., local time, at a depth of about 11 miles, the meteorological agency said.
A tsunami of around 2.6 feet was identified at the Kuji port in the Iwate prefecture after the earthquake, while a tsunami of 1.3 feet was recorded at a different port in the prefecture, the agency indicated.
The America-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center eventually noted that the tsunami threat "has now passed."
The Nuclear Regulation Authority noted that nuclear power plants in the area are intact and there have not been any abnormalities discovered.
A powerful 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 wreaked havoc in Japan, leaving over 22,000 dead and compelling nearly 500,000 people to flee their homes, most of them because of tsunami damage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report