M5.8 quake hits southwestern Japan, no tsunami warning

AN earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 hit the southwestern Japan prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita on Tuesday, with the country’s weather agency warning the public to remain on alert for about a week due to the possibility of a larger temblor.

No tsunami warning was issued, after the quake occurred shortly after 6 pm and originated in Kumamoto’s Aso area. The quake registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Ubuyama, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency

Upper 5 is defined as a level at which many people find it difficult to walk.

The quake registered lower 5 in Kumamoto’s Aso and was also felt in Oita’s Taketa, where a lower 5 was

registered, the agency said. The latest quake occurred in an area of Kyushu, one of Japan’s four main islands, where a pair of massive quakes struck in 2016. The agency, which initially reported the quake’s magnitude at 5.7, also revised the depth of the focus from about 10 kilometres to nine kilometre.

— Kyodo