A strong earthquake has struck Japan, according to the US Geological Survey.

The tremor had a magnitude between 5.9 and 6.2 and hit the east of the country, near Honshu, Japan's main and most populated island. Cities including Tokyo may be hit by the effects of the earthquake, according to the USGS.

No tsunami warning was immediately issued, according to public broadcaster HNK, and there have been no immediate reports of the scale or damage of the quake. There were also no anomalies detected at the region's nuclear power plants, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

The tremor struck northern Ibaraki Prefecture at around 9.38pm local time, according to the Japan Times.

Ibaraki Preferecture is home to some 3 million people and is situated just north-east of Tokyo.

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The depth of the quake was 10km, according to the USGS and the Japanese Meteorological Agency, which had earlier put the quake's magnitude at 6.2.

Japan sits at the collision of four tectonic plates, which mean that the region is regularly hit by strong earthquakes. But building codes and other protections mean that damage is usually limited.

A huge earthquake did hit the country in March 2011, starting a tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people. It also sent three of the Fukushima nuclear plant's reactors into meltdown, a disaster from which the country is still recovering.