6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Southwestern Japan, Prompting Tsunami Alerts

TOKYO—The Meteorological Agency of Japan reported that a powerful earthquake with an initial magnitude of 6.9 has struck southwestern Japan on Monday.

Tsunami alerts were issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the earthquake originated, on the southwestern island of Kyushu, as well as for nearby Kochi Prefecture, shortly after the earthquake occurred at 9:19 p.m. local time, as per the agency.

The extent of the damage caused by the earthquake was not immediately known.

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

By Yuri Kageyama