A magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck near Iwate Pref Japan (www3.nhk.or.jp)

6.9 is an intensity on a Japan Meteorological Agency Seismic Intensity Scale, which can vary from 0 to 7. So it's the second strongest intensity possible on the scale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Meteorological_Agency_se...

I'm in Tokyo and was awoken by the quake hitting here at 7:33; you can really feel the building sway on higher floors