The quake occurred at 9:21 a.m. local time off the eastern coast of the country’s northernmost main island.
A brief tsunami warning was issued across the region, and about 10,000 local residents were advised to evacuate low-lying coastal areas of Iwate Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of Japan's main island of Honshu.
Local reports said a 4-inch (10 cm) tsunami rippled along the coast about a half-hour following the intense earthquake.
The country’s NKH television network reported that there did not appear to be any damage near the epicenter, not even broken windows or items knocked off shelves.