Strong quake strikes off Japanese Ryukyu islands
A strong earthquake has struck off Japan’s southern coast, officials say.
The magnitude-6.4 quake happened at 1510 Japanese time (0610 GMT), about 115km (75 miles) off the Ryukyu Islands, said the US Geological Survey.
It was located at a depth of 16.5km (10.3 miles). There are no reports of casualties or damage.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a minor alert to small islands in the area, warning of a 0.5m (19in) tsunami.
Earthquakes often hit the seismically active region.
In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.
The Ryukyu islands are about 1,800km (1,120 miles) south-west of the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
