Recovery efforts are under way in northern Japan after an earthquake of 7.3-magnitude-7.3 struck off Fukushima, leaving at least 124 injured and causing temporary power outages across the region.
No deaths were reported, according to public broadcaster NHK confirmedsaid, but residents preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of the massive tremor on March 11, 2011 said they were frightened by Saturday's jolt – which the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said was considered an aftershock of the destructive earthquake.
The earthquake and tsunami in 2011 led to a meltdown at three nuclear units of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant and left about 19,000 people dead or missing.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Sunday that no incidents were reported from the nuclear power plants.
"I was at home … the shaking was so strong I became truly afraid for my physical safety," Masami Nakai, a municipal official in Soma city in northern Fukushima, told AFP.
Images posted online showed a car crushed by a rock lantern in the car park of a Shinto shrine, while another showed broken glass and items thrown from the shelves at a shop.
Authorities were assessing the impact of a landslide on a highway, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said, and aerial TV footage showed another landslide at a remote race circuit.
The government reported partial damage to eight structures, mostly houses, while local media said dozens of buildings had suffered broken ceilings and broken water pipes.
Mr Kato warned residents about the possibility of strong aftershocks in the next week and further landslides due to heavy rain forecast.
Energy companies reported no damage to nuclear power plants in the region.
NHK reported, citing Tokyo Electric Power Co, that there was a minor overflow of water from the pool that stores used nuclear fuels at the Fukushima nuclear plants, but no uncontrolled radiation activities were seen.
About 13 thermal power plants in Fukushima and Miyagi stayed offline after the earthquake, with some expected to restart on Sunday.
More than 830,000 households in the Tohoku and Kanto regions experienced power outages, but supply resumed in most areas by Sunday morning.
NTT Docomo Inc said some of its service areas in Tohoku were affected but operations had returned to normal bias of Sunday. Some areas in Fukushima are still without water supply, a local paper reported.
East Japan Railway Co said part of its high-speed bullet and local train line services would remain suspended until Monday due to damages to electrical lines.
East Nippon Expressway Co said it had closed a line connecting Fukushima and Miyagi due to a landslide. Local media reported no injuries from the landslide.
