Strong Quake Jolts Western Japan, Causing Tsunami

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)--A strong earthquake struck southwestern Japan Monday night, causing a tsunami of up to 20 centimeters to hit Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures.

The earthquake measured lower 5, the fifth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in the Miyazaki towns of Takanabe and Shintomi and the city of Miyazaki.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake occurred at around 9:19 p.m. local time at a depth of 36 kilometers in the Hyuga Sea off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture. It temporarily issued a tsunami warning to Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures.

The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 6.6 on the Japan Meteorological Agency scale and 6.7 on the more accurate moment magnitude scale.

The agency said that the earthquake was not powerful enough to raise the possibility that a megaquake will occur in the Nankai Trough off the country's Pacific coast because its size was below 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]