UPDATE 3 - 7.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Japan, triggers tsunami alert

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES DECK

By Riyaz ul Khaliq and Aamir Latif

ISTANBUL / KARACHI (AA) – Japan was hit Thursday by a strong earthquake, triggering a tsunami alert and injuring several people.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude 7.1 earthquake jolted the southwestern Miyazaki province on the island of Honshu.

Earlier, the USGS had said the magnitude was 6.9 but later revised it to 7.1.

The earthquake was reported at around 0742GMT.

Local authorities issued a tsunami advisory for the Kochi, Miyazaki, Ehime, Oita, and Kagoshima provinces.

Later the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) lifted the advisory for four provinces while keeping it in place for Miyazaki, public broadcaster NHK said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that at least three people were injured in quake-hit areas.

The JMA issued a "mega-quake" advisory after Thursday’s quake, warning that more strong quakes are expected following Thursday's tremors, NHK reported.

- ‘Huge’ quake more likely

The weather agency warned that the possibility of a "huge" earthquake in the Nankai Trough – an underwater trough located south of Nankaido on Japan's southernmost Honshu Island – is relatively higher than usual.

Hayashi urged the public to avoid traveling to quake-hit areas. So far no decision has been taken to send defense forces to the affected region.

According to the weather agency, the earthquake occurred at a depth of around 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) off Miyazaki and registered lower than 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the southern city of Nichinan, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

Authorities shut down the Miyazaki airport, but said that nuclear plants near the quake-hit region faced “no problems.”

No abnormalities were recorded at Ikata and Sendai nuclear power plants in the Ehime and Kagoshima prefectures, according to their operators.

Bullet train service was also temporarily suspended due to the quake.

Footage aired on local broadcaster NHK showed vehicles on the road swaying and traffic signals and utility poles wobbling due to the quake’s intensity.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries.