A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off eastern Japan Sunday, triggering a tsunami warning that was lifted within two hours.

The latest quake, which hit just before 10 a.m. local time, came after the massive record 9.0-magnitude earthquake that spawned a deadly tsunami in the same region four months earlier. Roughly 23,000 people were killed or went missing following both disasters in March, which also caused a nuclear crisis at the damaged Fukushima power plant.

Japan issued a tsunami alert on Sunday morning for most of the northeastern coastline after the strong jolts, which also affected the Fukushima area. Workers at the plant evacuated the complex as a precautionary measure, according to Japanese news broadcaster NHK.

Officials said they expected tsunami of less than one metre in some areas, and a tsunami of 10 centimetres reportedly struck the northeast coast. The tsunami alert was lifted soon after.

The epicentre of Sunday morning's quake was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, at a depth of about 10 kilometres. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and airports are reportedly running as normal.

A magnitude-6.7 earthquake rattled the country's northeast on June 23, although there were no reports of damage or injuries. A tsunami warning was issued for that quake as well, and also cancelled shortly afterwards.

With files from The Associated Press