This picture taken on July 11, 2008 shows the main shopping street in Towada, Aomori prefecture. (PHOTO / AFP)

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off the east coast of Aomori, northern prefecture of Japan's island of Honshu, the weather agency said here on Tuesday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor occurred at 6:18 pm local time, at a depth of 20 km.

ALSO READ: 2 killed, 92 injured after 7.4-magnitude quake strikes Japan

The JMA issued a tsunami forecast at 6:25 pm local time.