Earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3.

A strong earthquake struck Friday off the coast of northeastern Japan in the same region that was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami last year. Tokyo high-rises swayed for several minutes, one city reported a small tsunami and at least two people were reported injured.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 and struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 5:18 p.m. local time. The epicentre was 10 kilometres beneath the seabed and 240 kilometres offshore.
After the quake, authorities issued a warning that a tsunami potentially as high as two metres could hit. Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi, reported that a tsunami of one metre hit at 6:02 p.m. The tsunami warning was subsequently cancelled two hours after the quake occurred

Aiko Hibiya, a volunteer for the recovery in Minami-Sanriku, a coastal town devastated by last year's tsunami, said she was at a friend's temporary housing when the quake struck.

'It shook for such a long time,' she said.

She said other volunteers who had been in coastal areas were evacuated to a square and a parking lot and were waiting for the tsunami warnings to be lifted.

Miyagi prefectural police said there were no immediate reports of damage from the quake or tsunami, although traffic was being stopped in some places t.