A 5.8-magnitude earthquake has struck off north eastern Japan, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has said.

It was first registered as magnitude 6.1 by the USGS but this was later downgraded.

The quake was centered around 60 miles south east of Sendai, Honshu, near where a devastating quake and tsunami struck in March 2011.

There have been no tsunami warnings issued, or immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The country is still reeling from a series of strong quakes which struck in the south late last week, killing 48 people.

In pictures: Japan earthquakes Show all 20 1 /20 In pictures: Japan earthquakes In pictures: Japan earthquakes In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescuers check the damage area caused by earthquakes in Minamiaso, Kumamoto prefecture AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes Policemen search for survivors at a landslide site after earthquakes in Minami-Aso, Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes A search operation for missing persons is conducted around an area of mountain lodges which were buried in a landslide caused by earthquakes in Minamiaso, Kumamoto prefecture AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes Villagers gather in an evacuation center following a series of earthquakes in Minami Aso EPA In pictures: Japan earthquakes A scarred mountainside following a major landslide caused by a series of earthquakes in Minami Aso EPA In pictures: Japan earthquakes Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers conduct search and rescue operations at an apartment which collapsed following an earthquake in Minamiaso town Reuters In pictures: Japan earthquakes A resident walks past collapsed houses in Mashiki AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes A landslide is seen after the earthquake in Minamiaso AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescue workers from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force dig a vehicle out from mud at a landslide site in Minamiaso EPA In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescuers guide dogs to search for victims buried in a landslide due to the recent earthquakes in the village of Minami-Aso in Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes A local resident rests with a pet dog at an evacuation center after an earthquake in Mashiki town Reuters In pictures: Japan earthquakes Collapsed houses caused by an earthquake are seen in Mashiki town Reuters In pictures: Japan earthquakes A shop clerk cleans broken wine bottles following an earthquake in Kumamoto city Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes A woman cleans up in front of her collapsed house in the town of Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Resident Nobuyuki Morita (R) and his wife look around a room in their house in the town of Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Policemen search for missing people in a damaged neighbourhood following twin earthquakes in Mashiki Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Local residents evacuate from the town centre in Kumamoto Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescue team saved a man from his house buried alive Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes An eight-month-old baby is carried away by rescue workers after being rescued from her collapsed home caused by an earthquake in Mashiki town Reuters

Powerful aftershocks have continued to keep the population on edge but most have been restricted to the southern Kyushu island.

Hundreds of people in the previously afflicted Kumamoto area of south western Japan have been sleeping in their cars, afraid to return to damaged houses.

Around 100,000 have been displaced and sleeping in evacuation centres.

"I keep thinking the earthquakes will stop, but they just go on and on," one woman at an evacuation centre in Mashiki, one of the worst-hit areas, told Japanese broadcaster NHK. "It's really scary."

Of more than 680 aftershocks hitting Kyushu island since April 14, more than 89 have registered at magnitude 4 or more on Japan's intensity scale, strong enough to shake buildings.

Heavy rain is expected over the area, raising fears that slopes weakened by the quakes could collapse.

Authorities have begun condemning buildings and other structures deemed unsafe. Hundreds of buildings have collapsed, many brought down by their heavy traditional tile roofs.

Though public buildings must abide by stringent safety standards, the law is lax for private homes.

"When a big earthquake hits, structures may sustain damage that's impossible to fix if there's another quake within days," said Akira Wada, professor emeritus at Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Most of those who were killed had returned to their homes after the first quake.