The earthquake struck at 10.22pm local time (2.22pm BST) at a depth of about 10km about 53 miles northeast of the island of Honshu. The quake’s epicentre was about 30 miles southwest of the city of Sakata, home to more than 100,000 people. There are no initial reports of deaths or casualties although the areas hit hardest by the quake could not be contacted by telephone, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Is there a tsunami warning in place?
A tsunami advisory has been issued by Japan Meteorological Agency for Yamagata, Niigata and Ishikawa prefectures.
A tsunami is expected to arrive imminently in Yamagata and Niigata prefectures, including Sadogashima island.
The wave is estimated to be one metre high.
Residents have been told to get out of the water and “leave coastal regions immediately”.
Videos of the earthquake showed buildings shaking have been shared on social media.
Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake’s epicentre was fairly shallow, measuring about 10 kilometres (six miles) below the sea’s surface.
Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage on the Earth’s surface.
All seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata were off line and no abnormalities have been reported.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude of the quake at 6.5.
This story is being updated.