Tokyo ( CNN ) -- A powerful earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday evening , rattling buildings in Tokyo and setting off a small tsunami . It also jarred nerves in a nation still recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 that killed thousands of people and triggered the world 's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century . Some roads were closed and rail services suspended in the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi , where a one-meter ( 3-foot ) tsunami rolled ashore . It was followed by four other waves ranging from eight to 16 inches . Only minor injuries were reported immediately , including five in Miyagi and five on the outskirts of Tokyo . Miyagi was one of the areas that suffered the worst of the destruction from the 9.0-magnitude quake and resulting tsunami in 2011 . The weaker , 7.3-magnitude quake on Friday took place further out at sea -- 462 kilometers ( 287 miles ) east-northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 36 kilometers ( 22 miles ) -- the U.S. Geological Survey said , slightly revising the initial location it gave . It did n't create a widespread threat of a tsunami in the Pacific , according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . The massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 killed more than 15,000 people in Japan . It caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept away rice fields , engulfed entire towns , and tossed houses and cars onto highways . The combined natural disasters did severe damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant , setting off meltdowns at reactors at the facility that contaminated a large area . No damage was reported at the country 's nuclear power facilities after Friday 's quake . Radiation levels in fish caught near the area remain high long after the 2011 meltdowns , suggesting contamination from the site might still be seeping into Pacific waters , a U.S. researcher said in October . Radioactive levels staying high off Fukushima . CNN 's Alex Zolbert reported from Tokyo , and Jethro Mullen from Hong Kong . CNN 's Junko Ogura in Tokyo and Elizabeth Joseph in Hong Kong contributed to this report .
NEW : Only minor injuries were reported . A one - metre tsunami comes ashore in the northeast part of Miyagi . There is no threat of a widespread tsunami in the future , a research center says . The first wave shook buildings in Tokyo .