Tokyo, Aug. 23 -- A preliminary 5.9-magnitude earthquake rattled eastern Japan early Sunday, resulting in multiple injuries across prefectures surrounding Tokyo and causing widespread transit disruptions, according to local authorities and meteorological officials.

The temblor struck at 2:00 am, with its epicentre located in the southern section of Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of 68 kilometres, Kyodo News reported. The Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed that the seismic event did not trigger a tsunami threat.

The quake registered a lower 5 on Japan's 7-point seismic intensity scale across portions of Ibaraki as well as central Tokyo. The weather agency categorises a lower 5 intensity as shaking pronounced enough to cause alarm, comp...