TOKYO (AP) — 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 agency said the tsunami advisory was for the nearby Ariake Bay on the western coasts of Kumamoto, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a message posted on X, urged residents to avoid the coastline where a tsunami of up to 1 meter (3 feet) was predicted. She said her government has set up a task force to gather information, assess possible damage and prepare for rescue operations if needed.
“We are putting people’s lives as the top priority,” Takaichi said, urging residents in the strongly-shaken areas to use caution in light of possible strong aftershocks.
Shinji Kiyomoto, JMA’s Earthquake and Tsunami Countermeasures planning officer, told a news conference that the shallow earthquake was triggering active seismic activity in the area, urging residents to especially be cautious over the next two to three days for another big quake. He said, however, that so far no tsunami has been observed from the inland quake and that the agency plans to lift the advisory relatively soon.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said there were no reports of damage to major public facilities and infrastructure in the region, though authorities were still assessing the extent of damage from the quake.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at three nearby nuclear power plants from the temblor.
Shinkansen bullet trains and local trains in Kyushu have been suspended temporarily for safety checks, while the runway at the Aso Kumamoto Airport was closed following the earthquake, with “no prospect of resuming operations” according to a notice on the airport's website.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said it dispatched aircraft to the area to assess the situation.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, later revising it to 6.8.
Kumamoto was hit with a deadly quake in 2016 that left more than 50 people dead, 1,800 injured and tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed.
