An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon and a tsunami advisory was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the sea surface, JMA said.
According to Reuters, Japanese government has issued emergency earthquake warnings for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki prefectures, all on Japan’s southern Kyushu island.
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes. Located along the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or more.
According to Kyushu Electric Power, there were no reports of irregularities at its Sendai and Genkai nuclear power stations after the earthquake.
Train operator JR Kyushu said that it has suspended services, including its high-speed Shinkansen trains following the quake.
