7.3 magnitude earthquake hits coast of Japan
Tokyo Electric Power said that some 860,000 homes were without power as a result of the quake but electricity was gradually being restored.
A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of north-eastern Japan, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and nearby areas.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said there were no irregularities at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which experienced meltdowns following a massive quake and tsunami 10 years ago.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3, raising it from a preliminary magnitude of 7.1.
Tokyo Electric Power said that some 860,000 homes were without power as a result of the quake but electricity was gradually being restored.
Video from public broadcaster NHK TV showed some pieces of a building wall had broken off and fallen to the ground, and pieces of glass were scattered at a store.
Items fell off shelves because of the shaking, NHK said. NHK aerial footage showed a portion of a highway blocked by a landslide in Soma, a city in Fukushima prefecture.
Mr Kato said there were several reports of minor injuries from the quake, such as a man getting hit by a falling object.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga headed into his office immediately after reports of the quake, and a crisis centre was set up there.
The same north-eastern area was hit by a quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in March 2011. Experts warned of aftershocks over the next several days, including possibly larger quakes.
