Parts of Western Japan were shaken by a series of shallow earthquakes on Monday, with authorities warning that further strong shaking is possible in the next few days.
No injuries have so far been reported as a result of the earthquakes, public broadcaster NHK said.
A quake at 1632 GMT measured at magnitude 5.8 by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), at a depth of 10 kms (7.5 miles), caused strong shaking in parts of Shimane prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast.
Shaking of that intensity can cause walls to collapse, open cracks in the ground and trigger landslides.
The initial quake at magnitude 5.6 at a depth of 7 kms was measured by the United States Geological Service Survey (USGS).
The region could experience further jolts over the next week, particularly in the coming two or three days, a JMA official warned at a press briefing.
(With inputs from Reuters)