A powerful earthquake struck the southern coast of Japan on Thursday, triggering a tsunami warning. There were no immediate reports of casualties, Reuters reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that the quake, which struck at 4:43 p.m. local time, had a magnitude of 7.1 and was centered off Miyazaki Prefecture on the western main island of Kyushu. The quake was stuck at a depth of about 18.6 miles.
The agency issued a tsunami warning and predicted waves of up to one meter high along the southern coast of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku island.
According to Reuters, waves of up to 50 centimeters high have already been observed in Miyazaki, public broadcaster NHK reports.
Home Affairs Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that there were no reports of abnormalities at nuclear power plants after the earthquake and the government was monitoring damage and casualties, Reuters reported.
According to Japanese public television NHK, there were reports of broken windows at Miyazaki airport, near the epicenter.
Japan lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, the fault line around the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.
A earthquake on January 1 in the north-central region of JapanMore than 240 people were killed in Noto.
