At least 22 people were injured when a magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck western Japan early Saturday, the Meteorological Agency said.
Local media said most of the injured were elderly people tripping in panic as walls cracked and goods fell off shelves, dpa reported.
No tsunami warning was issued.
The epicentre was registered just south of Kobe, where a magnitude-7.2 quake killed more than 6,400 people in 1995.