A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 hit off the coast of eastern Japan on Saturday, shaking buildings and triggering widespread blackouts, but there appeared to be no major damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 60km (36 miles), near the epicentre of a 2011 killer quake which triggered a towering tsunami and killed more than 18,000, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The earthquake, which hit at 11.08pm local time, and shook buildings in the capital Tokyo and elsewhere. The Meteorological Agency said no tsunami warning had been issued. Magnitude-6.5 earthquake jolts northern Japan, no threat of tsunami Saturday’s quake was followed by aftershocks, including a 4.7 magnitude jolt, JMA said. About 950,000 households were without power, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a briefing carried on public broadcaster NHK. He said there were no irregularities at two nuclear facilities, Fukushima Dai-ichi and Onagawa. Authorities were still checking at Fukushima Dai-ichi , he said. NHK said there were no reports of irregularities at another nuclear facility at Tokaimura, in Ibaraki prefecture. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was called to his office, and broadcaster NHK said the government would set up a special liaison office to coordinate with affected regions. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato addressed reporters after midnight and said evaluations were under way. “As far as damage, casualties and structural damage are being assessed,” he said, adding that sections of the bullet train had been suspended because of power outages. “Surveys are being done at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant,” he said. “We have received reports that Onagawa nuclear plant and Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant are not showing any abnormality,” he added. The quake hit off of Fukushima just weeks before the 10-year anniversary of the March 11, 2011, quake that devastated northeast Japan and triggered a massive tsunami that led to the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter of a century – one centred at the Dai-ichi facility. Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. The country is regularly hit by quakes, and has strict construction regulations intended to ensure buildings can withstand strong tremors. In September 2018, a powerful 6.6-magnitude quake rocked Hokkaido, triggering landslides, collapsing houses and killing more than 40.