A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported.
Following the quake, authorities issued a tsunami warning, with wave heights expected to reach approximately 1 meter.
The Japanese government issued an emergency earthquake warning for a number of prefectures – Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki. They are all located on the southern island of Kyushu, which is the second most populous in the country.
At present, there is no information regarding destruction or casualties. Railway operator JR Kyushu temporarily suspended train operations, including the "Shinkansen" high-speed trains, immediately following the earthquake.