No tsunami threat to Hawaii after 7.1 Magnitude quake hits off Southern Japan

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – There is no tsunami threat to Hawaii following a powerful 7.1 Magnitude earthquake off Southern Japan, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

However, Japan had issued tsunami alerts.

The powerful quake struck at about 4:42 p.m. local time, or 9:42 p.m. Wednesday night in Hawaii.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake registered magnitude 7.1 and was centered in waters off the eastern coast of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu at a depth of about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles).

The quake most strongly shook Nichinan city and nearby areas in Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu island.

The agency said tsunami waves of up 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) were detected along parts of Kyushu’s southern coast and the nearby island of Shikoku about a half hour after the quake struck.

Officials said nine people were injured on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu, but the injuries were mostly minor, there were no reports of serious damage and tsunami advisories for the quake were later lifted.

Seismology Department official Shigeki Aoki warned that strong aftershocks could occur for about a week.

Japan’s NHK public television said windows were broken at the Miyazaki airport near the epicenter. The airport’s runway was temporarily closed for safety checks.

Officials say all the nuclear reactors in the country remain safe, which is a major concern since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

An earthquake on Jan. 1 in Japan’s north-central region of Noto left more than 240 people dead.

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