A 7.4 magnitude earthquake shook Japan on Thursday, 40 km North West of Japan, international news agencies inform. A tsunami alert on the North East coast was instated. Authorities ordered the evacuation of coastal areas. The same area was severely affected by the 9.0 Richter scale earthquake on March 11.

The 7.4 earthquake took place at 14:23 GMT and its epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean, 40 km away from Miyagi. The quake was felt in Tokyo also.