TOKYO » A strong earthquake struck Friday off the coast of northeastern Japan in the same region that was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The quake did not generate a Pacific-wide tsunami, officials in Hawaii said, but authorities in Japan issued a regional warning and at least one city reported a small tsunami.

Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi, reported that a tsunami of 3 feet hit at 6:02 p.m.

At least two people were reportedly injured.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 and struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 5:18 p.m. (10:18 p.m. Hawaii time). The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor was centered about 150 miles east of Honshu, at a depth of 22 miles, while Japan agency estimated the depth at about 6 miles.

After the quake, which caused buildings in Tokyo to sway for at least several minutes, authorities issued a warning that a tsunami potentially as high as 2.19 yards could hit. Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi, reported that a tsunami of about 3 feet hit at 6:02 p.m., less than an hour after the quake.

Miyagi prefectural police said there were no immediate reports of damage from the quake or tsunami, although traffic was being stopped in some places to check on roads.

Sirens whooped along the coast as people ran for higher ground, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach said there was no risk of a widespread tsunami, and no threat to Hawaii.

A 75-year-old woman fell and was injured while evacuating to flee from the tsunami, public television broadcaster NHK reported. It said a child was reportedly injured in the Miyagi city of Sendai. Miyagi police said they could not confirm those reports.

Shortly before the earthquake struck, NHK broke off regular programming to warn that a strong quake was due to hit. Afterward, the announcer repeatedly urged all near the coast to flee to higher ground.

More than an hour after the quake struck, an unnamed official from the Meteorological Agency, speaking on national television, continued to warn people to stay away from the coast.

“Please take all precautions. Please stay on higher ground,” he said.

All Nippon Airways spokesman Takuya Taniguchi said government officials were checking on the runways at Sendai airport. The two jets that were in the air went to other airports and all seven flights scheduled to go to Sendai for the day were cancelled, he said. 

The tsunami alert extended from the tip of the main island of Honshu nearly down to Tokyo, though the warning for the area most likely to be hit was only for the Miyagi coast

The tsunami warning was lifted after more than two hours.

The magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that slammed into northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, killed or left missing about 19,000 people, devastating much of the coast. All but two of Japan’s nuclear plants were shut down for checks after the earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant in the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Immediately following Friday’s quake, there were no problems at any of the nuclear plants operated by Fukushima Dai-Ichi operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., said a TEPCO spokesman, Takeo Iwamoto.

The magnitude-7.3 quake was followed by a magnitude-6.2 jolt about 15 minutes later, according to the USGS.