AKIPRESS.COM - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 has struck southeast of Tokyo, News.com.au reports referring to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The shallow 6.4 magnitude quake hit at 9.14 am, about 150 km east-southeast of Katsuura city, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There was no threat of a tsunami, added the Japan Meteorological Agency, which measured it at a slightly higher 6.5 magnitude.

They said there could be slight changes in the sea level but no damage to Japan.

The earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island.

The quake’s epicenter was 226 km southeast of the Japanese capital at a shallow depth of 10 km.

Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year, but rigid building codes and their strict enforcement mean even strong tremors often do little damage.

A massive undersea quake however that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan’s northeast coast, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

In April, two strong earthquakes hit southern Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks, and left at least 50 dead and caused widespread damage.