The quake hit at 5:07 am (2007 GMT Monday) in the Pacific Ocean about 170 kilometres (105 miles) southwest of Tokyo at a depth of 26.8 kilometres (16.7 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake shook buildings and jolted people from their sleep in and around the capital Tokyo, a region bracing for the predicted arrival of a typhoon later in the day.

At least 42 people suffered injuries, public broadcaster NHK reported, but most are believed to be minor.

Jiji Press said three fires broke out in Shizuoka prefecture, citing police and emergency services in the worst-hit area, where some objects were thrown from shelves.

Four people were taken to the prefecture's Yaizu City Hospital with minor injuries, including one pregnant woman, a hospital official said earlier.

"One of them was hurt on the head as some objects fell, but no one so far is in a serious condition," the official said.

The Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka immediately shut down two reactors after the quake, the operator Chubu Electric Power Co. said, with a company official adding that "no abnormalities are seen at the plant."

Central Japan Railway Co. temporarily suspended Shinkansen bullet trains in the quake-hit region.

Prime Minister Taro Aso's office set up an emergency centre shortly after the quake, which was followed by 13 noticeable aftershocks.

Aso's top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, told reporters: "Our prime minister ordered us to figure out details of the damage. He ordered us to do our utmost to rescue people if there are any such cases."

But Shizuoka governor Heita Kawakatsu told public broadcaster NHK: "There have been no reports of serious damage. Please remain level-headed and gather correct information we provide through TV programmes."

Japan's Meteorological Agency, which measured the quake at a revised 6.5 on the Japanese scale, said there was no risk of a tsunami after initial waves raised the ocean surface by about 40 centimetres (16 inches) at Omaezaki, Shizuoka.

Typhoon Etau -- which has brought torrential rains that had caused at least 13 deaths from flooding and landslides by Monday -- was heading towards Shizuoka and Tokyo, the meteorological agency said.

"As the typhoon is approaching... there are concerns about possible landslides. Please be vigilant," an official at the meteorological agency told a news conference.

The USGS said the quake measured 6.4 on the moment magnitude scale, while the Japanese agency said the quake measured 6.5 on the Japanese scale, which measures how strongly an earthquake is felt by people.

An earthquake also jolted eastern Japan on Sunday. Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike the country.

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