Magnitude 4.9 earthquake hits Tokyo area

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 has hit the Tokyo area but no tsunami warning is being issued, Japan's Meteorological Agency says.

The quake on Thursday was centred in northwestern Chiba prefecture, east of the capital, according to the agency.

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active areas, accounting for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.