The scene in front of JR Hakata Station in Fukuoka when an earthquake centered in the Hyuganada Sea off Miyazaki Prefecture hit on Aug. 8 (The Asahi Shimbun)

Photo/Illutration From the Japan Meteorological Agency's datagram

A powerful earthquake with a maximum intensity of just under 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 struck in the Hyuganada Sea off Miyazaki Prefecture around 4:43 p.m. on Aug. 8, prompting tsunami alerts to be issued.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake's focus was approximately 30 kilometers deep with an estimated magnitude of 7.1.

At a news conference, the JMA urged residents to take extra precautions against the danger of collapsed houses and landslides, as well as against aftershocks and rain.

A female resident of Kobayashi city in Miyazaki Prefecture, where the quake registered an intensity of 5 on the Japanese scale, said, "In my 52 years of living, this was my first experience of an earthquake like this. My wall clock came off and flew off, and if I had been near it, I could have been seriously injured.”

The resident added, “The shaking felt like a rippling sensation. I am afraid that it will come again. Tonight, I will go to bed ready to escape immediately.”

The JMA has issued tsunami advisories for the Uwakai coast of Ehime Prefecture, Kochi Prefecture and the Bungo Channel coast of Oita Prefecture. 

Advisories also cover Miyazaki Prefecture, eastern Kagoshima Prefecture and the Tanegashima and Yakushima regions.

In Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, the maximum seismic intensity was just under 6 on the Japanese scale.

In response to the earthquake, the JMA at 5 p.m. issued the Nankai Trough Earthquake Temporary Information (Under Analysis). This is the first time for the JMA to do so since the system was introduced in November 2017.

With that, the JMA has launched an investigation to determine if the earthquake was related to an earthquake along the Nankai Trough.

Within one to two hours, the JMA is expected to notify the public if the possibility of the occurrence of a huge earthquake has increased from normal.

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Ceiling inside the Miyazaki prefectural government’s building in Miyazaki is damaged by the earthquake on Aug. 8. (Yusuke Hoshino)

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities had been confirmed in the reactors or radiation levels at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, and Shikoku Electric Power Co.’s Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture.

The central government has set up an office to gather information and take measures.

“Under the policy of putting human life first, we are making all-out efforts to assess the damage and take emergency measures such as lifesaving and rescues,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference. 

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