Several people were injured and minor damages were reported after a pre-dawn earthquake shook Japan's capital, Tokyo, and surrounding areas Thursday.

The quake had a 5.4 magnitude and its epicenter was in Chiba prefecture, southeast of Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. No tsunami warning was issued.

The tremor jolted the eastern Chiba province and parts of the capital Tokyo at around 4:16 a.m. (7.16 p.m. GMT Wednesday), the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement.

The agency warned that "quakes on a similar scale could occur for about a week" and there could be a "risk of falling rocks and landslides."

Four people were hurt, including a man who was hit by a falling ceiling light, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency, and some rail service was canceled or delayed.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations, and a massive 2011 quake and subsequent tsunami killed thousands and caused a cataclysmic meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.