A powerful earthquake with a suspected magnitude of 6.6 has shaken western Japan, injuring seven people -– one seriously.

The Meteorological Agency said the earthquake occurred Friday at 2:10 p.m. (0510 GMT) in Japan's western prefecture of Tottori, about 700 kilometers (430 miles) west of Tokyo, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) underground.

The epicentre of the quake was at a relatively shallow depth of 11km (7 miles) below the surface. Shallow quakes potentially cause more damage but most of Friday's damage appears to be minor or localised.

The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from the inland temblor.

At least two houses collapsed, and television footage showed roof tiles knocked loose, wall fragments from a sake brewery fallen to the ground, and wine bottles and food items scattered on a store floor. Japan's public broadcaster NHK said a woman cooking in a restaurant was taken to a hospital after she was splashed with oil.

"It shook quite violently and file cabinets fell down, but luckily nobody was injured in this office," Koji Nakahara, a town hall official in coastal Hokuei, told NHK by telephone.

Suminori Sakinada, a local government official, told Agence France Presse: "We felt fairly strong jolts, which I think were the biggest in years, but we have not seen any damage or things falling".

A handout showing where the earthquake struck in Misasa, Tottori Prefecture (EPA)

Bullet train services have been suspended in the area and nearly 40,000 homes were believed to be temporarily left without power as the quake knocked out power lines.

NHK said switched-off nuclear reactors in the region were not affected.

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Japan sits on the edge of four tectonic plates so earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are fairly commonplace but strict building regulations mean strong tremors rarely do damage to modern buildings.

But the quake comes five and a half years since a 9.0 undersea earthquake cause a tsunami, a meltdown at the Fukushima power plant and resulted in the deaths of over 18,000 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

The then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan called the crisis the country "most difficult in the 65 years since the end of the Second World War".