A powerful earthquake has been felt in Tokyo, triggering a tsunami alert on the northeast coast and setting buildings in the Japanese capital swaying violently.

The tsunami was forecast to be around two metres high.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says the earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 5:18 p.m. (0818 GMT) Friday.

The epicentre was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) beneath the seabed.

Initial reports put the epicentre near to that of the March 11, 2011 quake that sparked a devastating tsunami.

【新聞快訊】中新網(wǎng)12月7日電 據(jù)美國地質(zhì)勘探局網(wǎng)站消息，北京時(shí)間7日16時(shí)18分，日本東北部海域發(fā)生里氏7.3級地震，震源深度36.1公里。

有報(bào)道稱，東京方面有強(qiáng)烈震感，建筑劇烈晃動(dòng)。日本宮城縣已發(fā)布海嘯預(yù)警，此次地震可能引發(fā)約一米高的海嘯。