A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern Japan on Friday (May 10), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage due to the quake.
The quake struck at 8:48 am (2348 GMT Thursday) in Pacific waters nearly 40 kilometres (25 miles) east-southeast of Miyazaki, a city in the southwest of Kyushu island, at a depth of 24 km, according to the agency. Moderate to strong shaking was felt in areas near the epicenter
Kyushu Electric Power said, “no abnormalities” were reported at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima prefecture.
The meteorological agency issued an emergency warning when the quake hit, prompting public broadcaster NHK to switch to special programming on the situation in the southern Kyushu region, including Miyazaki.
The initial quake was followed by another, of 5.1 magnitude, at 9:07 am (0007 GMT) in the same area, according to the USGS.
Japan sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, the junction of four tectonic plates, where many of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded. On Mar 11, 2011, a devastating 9.0-magnitude quake struck under the Pacific Ocean, and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and killed more than 10,000 people.
