A wind turbine stands in the sea off the coast of Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on Monday, March 4, 2013.
Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 hit eastern Japan on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The epicentre of the quake was off the coast of Chiba prefecture, the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued.
There were no immediate reports of damage.