Strong earthquake shakes southern Japan, no danger of tsunami
By APWednesday, May 26, 2010
Strong quake shakes south Japan; no tsunami alert
TOKYO — A strong earthquake shook southern Japan on Wednesday, but authorities said no tsunami was expected and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The Meteorological Agency said the quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 6.1, while the U.S. Geological Survey measured it at 6.4. It occurred off the coast of Minamidaito island, near Okinawa, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo. The quake’s center was about six miles (10 kilometers) below the sea surface.
The Meteorological Agency did not issue a tsunami alert.
Police official Shimpachi Higashizato said there were no immediate reports of injury or damage from the quake, which struck at about 5:53 p.m., adding that he only felt minor shaking at his office in Naha on the main Okinawa island, about 230 miles (375 kilometers) west of the epicenter.
“I would think any damage from a quake this size is unlikely,” he said.
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries. In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.
