Japanese earthquake at 6.4 hits southern islands
Japan was struck by an earthquake in straights between southern islands which the Japanese Meteorological Agency put at a 6.4 magnitude on its own scale.
The quake struck at 23:14 local time late Wednesday (April 17) at a depth of 50 km in the waters of the Bungosuido Strait between the southern islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku.
Six aftershocks were recorded within the first hour of the initial quake, starting with a 5.0 quake on the Japanese scale within five minutes, then 4.3 and a series of shocks between 3.0 and 3.5. Minor aftershocks of a similar scale have continued into Thursday.
News reports mentioned chiefly minor damages and a nuclear power plant in the neighbouring prefecture was said to have operated "without irregularities."
The US Geological Survey puts the initial quake at a 6.3 on its scale, claiming a much shallower epicentre at 25.7 km.
Seismic intensity readings for local impact were listed at 2-3 for most of the Kyūshū and Shikoku islands as well as the southern tip of the big island Honshū, the Japanese agency said. The quake could barely be felt in the capital region of Tokyo with a seismic intensity reading of 1.
Japanese authorities did not have a tsunami alert in place.
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