Major quake strikes off Japan, raising risk of tsunami

(CNN) -- A powerful earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday evening, rattling buildings in Tokyo and raising the risk of a tsunami.

The 7.3-magnitude quake hit 492 kilometers (306 miles) east-northeast of Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned a tsunami as high as two meters could hit the country's northeast coast following the quake, which struck out at sea.

The agency issued the warning for Miyagi Prefecture, the hardest hit area by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck in March 2011.

But the quake Friday hasn't created a widespread threat of a tsunami in the Pacific, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

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