OAN Staff James Meyers
9:18 AM – Monday, January 13, 2025
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 hit southwestern Japan, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said Monday, while warning the public to stay away from coastal areas because of a tsunami threat.
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Tsunami advisories were issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the earthquake was centered, in the island of Kyushu, as well as nearby Kochi Prefecture, in Shikoku island, shortly after the quake struck at 9:19 p.m. local time, according to the agency.
Residents in some coastal areas were told to evacuate as a precautionary measure. Trains stopped running in Miyazaki Station, stranding passengers.
Public broadcaster NHK TV said a tsunami, estimated to be as high as 3.2 feet high, reached land within 30 minutes of the quake. The waters detected at Miyazaki Port measured 8 inches high, the reports said.
The waters detected at Miyazaki Port measured 20 centimeters (0.7 feet) high, according to multiple reports.
Meanwhile, Japan is known for frequently being hit by earthquakes due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
Experts at the meteorological agency were meeting late Monday to gauge how the latest earthquake may be related to the so-called Nankai Trough quakes.
A Nankai Trough quake off Shikoku in 1946 killed more than 1,300 people.
In August, a strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off southern Japan, which caused minor injuries but raised the concern level of more possible stronger earthquakes related to undersea trough east of the coast.
An earthquake on January 1, 2024 in Japan’s north-central region of Noto left more than 240 people dead.
The nation is known for strict regulations when constructing their buildings to make sure they can withstand powerful earthquakes, and Japan will also routinely hold emergency drills to help be prepared.
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