A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring dozens of people, shattering windows and disrupting railway services, according to Japanese authorities and local media.

The earthquake hit Shizuoka Prefecture at 1:04 a.m. local time, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, adding that no tsunami warning had been issued.

No fatalities were immediately reported, but the tremor shattered storefront windows, knocked merchandise off shelves and caused disruptions to transportation services across several areas.

An emergency official in neighboring Aichi Prefecture said authorities had received 16 reports of injuries, most of them minor.

Meanwhile, authorities in Shizuoka reported that at least three women had sought emergency medical treatment, including a woman in her 90s who injured her shoulder after falling from her bed during the shaking.

Local newspaper Chunichi Shimbun and Tokai Television separately reported that at least 24 people had been injured across Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures.

In Toyohashi, Aichi, windows at a car dealership were shattered, while a large bookstore in Toyota reported that merchandise had fallen from shelves.

The earthquake also prompted temporary delays and suspensions of regional railway services, including Shinkansen bullet trains, on Sunday morning.

The tremors were felt as far west as Osaka, where a foreign resident was reportedly taken to hospital after falling from a second-floor apartment when the earthquake startled them. Local media reported the incident, although Osaka officials were not immediately available for comment.

Separately, a 4.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Kumamoto region in southwestern Japan at 10:53 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to the JMA.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries from the second tremor.

The region is still recovering from a devastating 7.1-magnitude earthquake in July that killed 38 people, destroyed homes and left tens of thousands without electricity.

Japan is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most seismically active zones, and experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year.

The country remains deeply affected by the catastrophic magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck off its northeastern coast in March 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that killed or left missing approximately 18,500 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (ILKHA)