A tsunami warning has been issued for southern Japan following a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the region Tuesday. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported the tremor registered the highest possible level seven on Japan's Shindo seismic intensity scale.
Emergency earthquake warnings were issued by the Japanese government for prefectures on the southern Kyushu island, including Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki. The agency indicated that tsunami waves of up to one meter could arrive around 5 p.m. local time, with broadcaster NHK reporting that waves of this height may have already been detected.
Japan, situated on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' is one of the world's most seismically active countries. It experiences hundreds of earthquakes annually, accounting for approximately 18% of global seismic activity. While most tremors are mild, their impact varies based on location and depth.
The country has a history of devastating seismic events, including a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea earthquake in 2011. That event triggered a tsunami that resulted in about 18,500 deaths or disappearances and caused significant damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant.
More recently, on April 20 of this year, a 7.7-magnitude tremor in the country's north injured at least 10 people and caused buildings in Tokyo to shake. This event led authorities to issue a special advisory warning of an increased risk of magnitude 8.0 or stronger earthquakes, an advisory that was lifted a week later.