Japan earthquake: 7.1 magnitude quake hits Kyushu, tsunami alert issued

Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture has been hit with an earthquake having a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 on Tuesday, as reported by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

According to the agency, the quake measuring at the highest possible level seven shook the island of Kyushu at 4:27 pm (0727 GMT).

Soon after the high-intensity tremor, the JMA issued a high tsunami alert, stating the waves could measure up to one meter (3 meters) and arrive at around 5:00 pm.

Moreover, the Japanese government also issued emergency earthquake warnings for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, ​Oita, and Miyazaki prefectures, all on Japan's ​southern Kyushu island.

On June 25, a quake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit northern Japan on June 25 but caused no major damage or deaths.

Speaking about the infrastructure damage, Kyushu ​Electric Power ​ reported no incidents of irregularities or damage at its Sendai and ​Genkai nuclear power stations after the ​earthquake. But 40,000 homes had lost power in the wake of the quake. Train operator JR Kyushu also suspended the services.

Japan is among the most seismically active nations globally, experiencing a tremor on average every five minutes or less. Situated along the volatile "Ring of Fire" which is a massive arc of volcanoes and deep oceanic trenches tracing the Pacific Basin.

The country alone accounts for roughly 20 percent of all global earthquakes registering a magnitude of 6.0 or greater.