The quake hit at a depth of about 30km and measured magnitude 5.5, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. But the tremor did not trigger a tsunami warning. The epicentre was around 55km (35 miles) south-east of the city of Sapporo, the USGS added.
Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference that no reports of major damage had been confirmed but an emergency task force had been set up at the Prime Minister’s Office.
He said no irregularities were observed at the area’s nuclear plants.
He told reporters: “The government is doing its best to grasp the situation, but so far there has been no report of major damage.”
Public broadcaster NHK warned about possible landslides as the same area was hit by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake last September.
This triggered dozens of landslides and left more than 40 people dead and dozens of people were injured.
Trains were temporarily halted in the city of Sapporo and NHK showed crowds of stranded commuters.
It is common for airports and railways to stop operations until runways and tracks can be checked.
Shinkansen bullet train services were temporarily suspended in Hokkaido, but no major blackout was reported.
Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed lights flickering on and off in a town close to the epicentre.
Japan is one of the most earthquake and tsunami prone areas in the world.
In September last year, the country was rocked by a magnitude 6.7 quake which triggered landslides, collapsed houses and killed more than 40.
Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of violent quakes every year.
However the country is enforced by rigid building codes and strict enforcement which means even strong tremors often do little damage.
Experts said it was likely Thursday’s earthquake was an aftershock of the September one.
Takashi Furumura, a professor of seismology at the University of Tokyo said the two quakes’ “mechanism were also similar.”
He said: “There’s no need for excessive worry, but caution is needed if quakes start to occur in other areas.”
Kosher Yamaoka, a professor or seismology at Nagoya University urged caution.
He said: “An aftershock of the latest one could follow, so we need to be prepared for quakes of the same intensity for up to 10 days.”