A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck western Japan, followed by a series of strong aftershocks, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The epicentre of the first quake was in Shimane prefecture. The JMA said there was no tsunami threat.
The quake had a seismic intensity above 5 on the Japanese scale, which was strong enough to impede traffic. At that level, heavy furniture could fall and drivers could have trouble driving.
Chugoku Electric Power, which operates the Shimane nuclear power plant, said operation of Unit 2 continued as normal.
This unit of the plant was restarted in December 2024 for the first time since all of Japan’s nuclear power plants were shut down following the Fukushima disasters in March 2011.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the most seismically active regions in the world. On 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, one of the strongest ever recorded, struck here, triggering a massive tsunami that swept far inland, destroying cities and their key infrastructure and causing a major accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
More than 18,000 people have died and nearly half a million in the region have been displaced. More than 40,000 people were still unable to return home as of 2021.