A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, prompting a tsunami warning and emergency alerts across the island of Kyushu.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said waves measuring up to 1 meter could reach the coast following the earthquake.
(Photo: shutterstock)
The Japanese government issued emergency earthquake warnings for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Miyazaki prefectures, all located on Kyushu.
Kyushu Electric Power said there were no reports of irregularities at its Sendai and Genkai nuclear power stations following the quake.
Rail operator JR Kyushu suspended services across the region, including its high-speed Shinkansen trains.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least once every five minutes. The country lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes and oceanic trenches where several tectonic plates meet.
Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or higher.