A 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck Japan's main island of Honshu, reportedly injuring several children and a teacher at a day care centre.
The epicentre was in Akita prefecture, 82km (52 miles) north of the city of Sendai, at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.
The tremor rattled buildings in nearby towns and in the capital, Tokyo, 390km (240 miles) to the south.
All bullet trains in the area were automatically shut down.
Two nuclear power plants nearby were unaffected, officials said.
Seismologists had issued advance warning of the first earthquake moments before it struck around 0845 (2343 GMT on Friday).
Footage from NHK television showed surveillance cameras in Sendai being shaken violently for about 30 seconds.
An official from Miyagi prefecture, in which Sendai is located, told NHK he had seen the tiles coming off the roofs of several homes.
Window panes broke at a child care centre and another building in Oshu, injuring children and at least one teacher, Japanese TV said.
source: bbc.co.uk