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A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan late on Monday, causing two small tsunamis in the area but no damage reported.
The quake struck at a depth of 36 kilometres around 18 kilometres off the coast of Miyazaki prefecture in the Kyushi region around 21:19 pm (1219 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of possible tsunami waves of up to one metre (three feet) and urged the public to stay away from coastal waters.
“Tsunami can strike repeatedly. Please do not enter the sea or go near coastal areas,” the JMA said on X.
Two small tsunamis of around 20 centimetres were detected at two ports in the region, the weather agency said.
Local media reported no immediate injuries, with live television feeds from the region on public broadcaster NHK showing no visible damage as well as calm seas, vessels operating and traffic running normally.
Sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, Japan is one of the world’s most tectonically active countries.
The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for around 18 percent of the world’s earthquakes.
The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth’s surface at which they strike.
On New Year’s Day 2024 a 7.5-magnitude quake struck the Noto peninsula, killing nearly 470 people in Japan’s biggest jolt in over a decade, many of them elderly residents in the aftermath.