An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 hit northeast Japan in the early hours of Sunday, the Meteorological Agency said.

The 2:31 a.m. quake originated around 90 km below ground in the southern part of Iwate Prefecture, it said.

The quake had an intensity of 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Morioka and Kamaishi in Iwate and in Hachinohe and Hashikami in Aomori Prefecture.