Tokyo, Aug 19 (IANS): An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 struck off the Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki, just northeast of Tokyo, the country's weather agency said.

The temblor occurred on Monday at 0:50 a.m. local time, measuring lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The epicentre was located at a depth of 10 km at a latitude of 36.7 degrees north and a longitude of 140.6 degrees east, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tremors were also felt in central Tokyo, with no tsunami warning issued following the quake.

Japan had recently issued a warning about a potential “megaquake”, however, a week later, it lifted the advisory. The alert followed a magnitude 7.1 quake that struck the southern part of the country on August 8.

It advised people to be alert but not evacuate, saying the probability of a major earthquake was higher than usual but it was not imminent.