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(Image: GETTY/TWITTER)

High-rise buildings were seen swaying as far away as Tokoyo.

But there are no fears of a tsunami, Japanese and US authorities said.

The quake struck at a depth of 26 miles in the Pacific Ocean 21 miles northeast of the town of Namie, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries though some local train services stopped.

Tokyo Electric Power, operator of the Fukushima plant, said there were no issues caused by the quake.

A massive undersea quake on March 11, 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into the northeast coast.

It left more than 18,500 people dead or missing and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

In November a powerful 6.9-magnitude quake sparked panic and triggered a one-metre (three-foot) tsunami that washed ashore at the Fukushima plant but caused no damage.

Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year.