An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale has jolted central Japan, leaving at least seven people injured, the Japan Meteorological Agency and local media reported.
The 5.4 earthquake hit the Nagano Prefecture and its vicinity in central Japan, some 170 kilometers (105 miles) northwest of Tokyo, on Thursday at 8:18 a.m. local time.
The quake was just four kilometers (2.5 miles) deep. No tsunami warning was issued following the quake, Kyodo News said. It was soon followed by smaller aftershocks.
Reports say the tremor has damaged a 16th-century samurai castle listed as a national treasure, causing cracks in its inner walls.
Japan is regularly struck by earthquakes.
On March 11, a destructive 9-magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami struck Japan's northern coasts, setting off a nuclear crisis by knocking out power to cooling systems of reactors at the Fukushima plant and causing a radiation leak.
The powerful quake and the massive tsunami killed nearly 24,000 people and ravaged the Fukushima plant. The crisis has displaced about 80,000 residents from around the nuclear plant.
5.4 magnitude quake hits central Japan
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