TOKYO, June 14 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake that rocked northern Japan on Saturday has killed two people, the government's top spokesman said.

One of those killed was caught in a landslide, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told reporters, adding that the government had set up an emergency response centre.

The shallow quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 jolted a largely rural Iwate region 300 km (190 miles) north of Tokyo at 8:43 a.m. (2343 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

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