Preliminarily, the magnitude of the quake is measured at 7.1, according to the Japan Meteorological Institute according to Reuters.
The US equivalent of the USGS measures magnitude 7.0.
The quake occurred shortly after 11 pm local time (15 Swedish time) at a depth of almost 6,000 meters.
The epicenter is estimated to be about 90 km from the coastal city of Namie - not far from the epicenter of the giant earthquake ten years ago that caused enormous devastation and the deaths of thousands of people in Fukushima.
The quake was also felt in the capital Tokyo, just over 250 km south of Namie.
In the prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi, the intensity of seismic activity was assessed as a six on a seven-point scale.
There is no information on any major property damage.
At 4 pm Swedish time, no tsunami warning has been issued.
Namie is a ghost town after the nuclear accident in Fukushima in 2011, which followed a strong earthquake off the coast.
The magnitude of that earthquake was measured at 9.0.
More than 18,000 people were injured in the quake and the tsunami that occurred.