TOKYO — A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has struck southwestern Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday, warning the public to stay away from coastal areas due to the risk of a tsunami.
According to the agency, immediately after the earthquake occurred at 9:19 p.m. local time, a tsunami advisory was issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, the epicenter of the earthquake in southwestern Kyushu, and Kochi Prefecture on neighboring Shikoku.
There were no immediate reports of damage. Residents of some coastal areas were told to evacuate as a precaution. According to a report from NHK, a man in Kyushu suffered minor injuries after falling down the stairs. The train stopped at Miyazaki Station, leaving passengers stranded.
Public broadcaster NHK Television said the tsunami, estimated to be 3.2 feet high, reached land within 30 minutes of the quake. According to reports, the height of water detected at Miyazaki Port was 0.7 feet.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter was 30.5 kilometers deep and shook a wide area of Kyushu in the southwest of the main island.
Japan is frequently struck by earthquakes because it is located along the Pacific Rim of Volcano, an arc of volcanoes and faults in the Pacific Basin.
NHK television footage showed moving traffic and well-lit streets, showing power was still running. No problems were detected at various monitoring posts at nuclear power plants in the region.
Japan Meteorological Agency experts were meeting late Monday to consider how the quake was related to the so-called Nankai Trough earthquake.
This term refers to a large area that is thought to be prone to periodic large earthquakes. The Nankai Trough earthquake that occurred off the coast of Shikoku in 1946 killed more than 1,300 people. The area was hit by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake last August.
– Associated Press
