Powerful earthquake hits Japan’s southern coast, triggers tsunami warning

TOKYO: A powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s southern coast on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, but there were no immediate signs of major damage.

Following a powerful earthquake measuring magnitude 6.9, Japan’s Met Dept issued a tsunami warning predicting waves of up to 1 meter (3.3ft) along the southern coast of Kyushu and the nearby island of Shikoku.

The quake was centered off the eastern coast of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu at a depth of about 30km (18.6 miles).

Operators of nuclear plants in Kyushu and Shikoku said they were checking to see if there was any damage to them, local media reported. Japan’s NHK public television said there were reports of broken windows at the Miyazaki airport near the epicenter.

Earlier on January 1, an earthquake in Japan’s north-central region of Noto left more than 240 people dead.