TOKYO — Japan issued a tsunami warning on Thursday after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southern island of Kyushu.
The quake struck off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture at 4:42 p.m. local time (3:42 a.m. ET), at a depth of about 18 miles, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Japanese officials issued a tsunami warning, advising residents to immediately leave coastal areas of Kochi and Miyazaki prefectures until the tsunami passes. Advisories are issued when waves are expected to be no higher than 1 meter (3.3 feet).
Japanese broadcaster NHK, quoting the local police chief, said they were checking for structural damage to buildings but that there did not appear to be any so far. They said the port of Miyazaki had reported a 20-inch surge, the largest so far.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo and Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
