A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 jolted northern Japan today.
Workers carry out repair work on a bullet train which stopped along a northern Japan line in Kunimi due to the earthquake
The quake injured at least 59 people, causing power outages and bringing trains to a halt, stranding thousands of passengers.
Buildings also swayed in Tokyo, about 300 kilometres to the south, when the tremor struck at just before 3am (Irish time), but there were no reports of damage or injuries in the capital.
Public broadcaster NHK said at least 22 of the 59 injured were hurt when the ceiling at an indoor swimming pool collapsed in Sendai, an industrial city of about one million.
Several aftershocks followed the initial quake, the largest with a magnitude of 4.5, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Trains were halted including high-speed "bullet" train services, leaving 3,200 passengers stranded between stations more than five hours after the quake, NHK said.
Tokyo's major airports resumed operations after runways were briefly closed for checks. One highway was also briefly closed.