Taipei - Taiwan on Saturday offered to send a search and rescue team to Japan after a magnitude-7.2 earthquake hit north- eastern Japan, leaving at least three people dead and and more than 100 injured.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry sent a message of concern to Japan and offered to send a research and rescue team to the quake region, but Japan has not expressed the need for foreign rescue and search teams yet, the Broadcasting Corporation of China reported.

The quake struck the northern-eastern prefecture (state) of Iwate, about 448 kilometres north of Japan's capital Tokyo. The epicentre of the quake was eight kilometres underground and the quake was felt as far as Tokyo. (dpa)