Strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake hits Southern Japan, no tsunami warning

Japan : A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on Friday, the US Geological Survey said; the Japanese authorities have said that there is no tsunami threat so far.

The quake struck at 8:48 am (2348 GMT Thursday) in Pacific waters nearly 40 kilometres (25 miles) east-southeast of Miyazaki city at a depth of 24 km, according to the agency.

The Japan MeT department said there is nothing to worry about tsunami.

The weather agency issued an emergency warning when the quake hit, prompting public broadcaster NHK to switch to special programming on the situation in the southern Kyushu region, including Miyazaki.

The initial quake was then followed by another 5.1 magnitude quake, said the USGS.

No reports of property damage or casualty have been received so far.

Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year.