A typhoon slammed into Japan's west coast Monday, bringing heavy rain that triggered floods and landslides and left at least 12 people dead and 10 reported missing.

Typhoon Etau killed 11 people in Hyogo prefecture, or state, about 500 kilometres west of Tokyo, police official Shigekazu Kamenobu said. He could not provide details but said many were caught in raging waters.

"At least one man was swept away in a river while he was in a car. His body was later found inside the vehicle," Kamenobu said.

Police said about 2,200 people were evacuated from their homes in Hyogo and were staying at public schools. Some 500 houses were flooded, with TV footage showing residents clearing up mud with shovels.

A woman was also found dead in her house, which was destroyed by a landslide in neighbouring Okayama prefecture, police official Wataru Yamamoto said.

Police said at least two people were missing in Tokushima, on the western island of Shikoku.

Public broadcaster NHK said at least 10 people are also missing in the typhoon. Police officials could not confirm the report.

Japan's Meteorological Agency warned of heavy precipitation and landslides in eastern Japan as Etau heads north.

Tokyo feels quake's effects

On Sunday, a strong earthquake shook Tokyo and surrounding areas, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

There were no reports of damage or casualties from the temblor, which rattled furniture and walls in Tokyo homes at 7:56 p.m. local time, the agency said.

The agency recorded the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 6.9. The United States Geological Survey said the quake was magnitude 7.1 and that it was centred in the Izu Islands about 320 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.

The Japanese agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from the quake. It was 340 metres below the ocean bed in the waters off the eastern coast of Japan, according to the agency.

The agency said the quake shook the capital and the prefectures of Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba and others around Tokyo.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.