The 6.8 magnitude jolt occurred while most people were asleep early Thursday, and lasted for up to 40 seconds.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake occurred at 12:26 a.m. local time beneath Iwate prefecture (state) at a depth of 75 miles (120 km).
Residents of the northern city of Hachinohe said the shaking was the strongest anyone there can remember within their lifetimes.
Fire engines and ambulances could be heard rushing through the city in response to injuries and fires caused by the quake.
Thursday's temblor followed a string of earthquakes in the same region, the first of which in mid-June killed at least 10 people and left 10 others missing.
Quakes on Saturday and Monday, centered off Honshu’s northeastern coast, rocked buildings as far away as Tokyo, but no damage or injuries were reported from those seismic events, the strongest of which registered a magnitude of 6.6
