TOKYO (Jiji Press/AP) — A powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s northern coast on Thursday, but the country’s meteorological agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. Eleven people have been confirmed to have suffered injuries.

The quake had a magnitude of 7.2 and occurred off the eastern coast of Iwate, upgraded from an initial reading of 6.9, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake had a depth of about 50 kilometers (30 miles), it said. JMA The U.S. Geological Survey also reported a magnitude of 6.9.

According to the Aomori prefectural government, nine people suffered injuries in five towns and cities, including the city of Aomori, the capital of the prefecture. In Iwate, two women in their 60s and 90s were seriously injured in the city of Kamaishi and the town of Iwate.

The rattling occurred in an area where strong earthquakes have repeatedly been reported in recent months, including one that triggered a weeklong mega-quake caution advisory in December.

The quake, which struck Japan’s northeastern region during Thursday’s morning rush hour, also mildly shook Tokyo. 

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo that her government’s emergency team is “putting people’s lives first,” while assessing information and preparing for relief operations, if needed. She urged residents in the affected regions to use caution against possible aftershocks.

Tomoko Nagane, a primary school principal in the town of Hashikami in Aomori prefecture, told NHK that she was driving when the quake alert went off and that she felt moderate sideway shaking. Children already gathered at the school were safe, she said, though some were crying in fear. Classes were canceled for the day and children have all returned home safely, Nagane said.

Footage on Japan's NHK public television quoted its journalists from a number of strongly-hit towns, including Sendai and Morioka, saying they felt the shaking for a couple of minutes but have not seen any damage. Footage showed people commuting as usual.

East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, suspended both northbound and southbound services of the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line between Tokyo Station and Shin-Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture due to the quake. Operations were restarted for all sections later.

Services resumed at 9:30 a.m. for both directions between Tokyo and Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture, part of Tohoku and located south of Iwate, and shortly after 1 p.m. for both directions between Sendai and Morioka Station in Iwate and for northbound services between Morioka and Shin-Aomori. Southbound services on the section between Morioka and Shin-Aomori resumed around 1:55 p.m.

The number of trains has been substantially reduced on all sections.

Nuclear power plants and facilities, including the Fukushima Daiichi plant which was damaged by the 2011 massive quake and tsunami, and a spent fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, have not reported any abnormalities from Thursday's earthquake.

Japan, which sits on what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone areas.