Tokyo: A strong earthquake shook residents on Sunday in a mountainous region of central Japan, injuring at least two people and knocking roof tiles off homes.
The magnitude 5.6 quake struck about 7am at a shallow depth of 7 kilometres in Nagano prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The epicentre was about 190 kilometres west of Tokyo. The US Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 5.2.
There was no danger of tsunami from the inland earthquake.
Authorities said two people had minor injuries. Japan's NHK television said an 83-year-old woman in Otaki village was struck on the head by a falling object in her house, and a 60-year-old woman in Kiso town was hit in the leg by a chest of drawers that fell over.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported multiple incidents of fallen roof tiles, broken glass and big boulders falling onto roads.
NHK showed a worker in Kiso picking up glass from a shattered show window at a Nissan car dealer.
The area is no stranger to disaster. A nearby volcano, Mount Ontake, erupted in 2014, killing about 60 people. Several people died when a stronger earthquake triggered landslides in the same area in 1984.
