Tsunami alert lifted after earthquake rattles southwestern Japan

TOKYO – A tsunami warning was issued for parts of southwestern Japan after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, but warnings to stay away from coastal areas were later lifted. A few cases of minor injuries were reported.

The Japan Meteorological Agency initially estimated the magnitude at 6.9, but later revised it to 6.6.

A man was slightly injured in Kyushu after falling down some stairs, NHK TV reported. A small landslide blocked a road and some underground water pipes burst.

NHK said a tsunami, estimated to be as high as 3.2 feet, reached land within 30 minutes of the quake. The water detected at the Miyazaki port measured 0.7 feet high, the reports said.

Tsunami advisories were issued for Miyazaki prefecture, where the quake was centered, on the southwestern island of Kyushu, as well as nearby Kochi prefecture on Shikoku island, shortly after the quake struck at 10 p.m. 21:19, JMA said. They were all lifted before midnight.

Agency official Shigeki Aoki told reporters that aftershocks were possible, especially in the next two or three days.

The earthquake, centered at a depth of 22 miles, shook a wide area in Kyushu, the JMA said.

NHK footage showed moving traffic and well-lit streets, which meant the electricity was still working. No problems were detected at nuclear power plants in the area.

Japan is often hit by earthquakes due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

Experts at the Meteorological Agency met late Monday to gauge how the recent weather may be related so-called Nankai Trough earthquakebut decided not to take extraordinary measures for the time being. The term refers to a broad region believed to be prone to periodic large earthquakes.

A Nankai Trough earthquake off Shikoku in 1946 killed more than 1,300 people. The area was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 in August last year.

By YURI KAGEYAMA with The Associated Press

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