Japan has been struck by an undersea earthquake measuring magnitude six.
The quake’s epicentre was 10km under sea level, off the northeast Coast of Amami-Oshima Island, the country’s meteorological agency said.
This is the south of the main islands of Japan, but the quake could still be felt in some residential areas.
Some areas felt the quake as a magnitude two or three, including Amami City and Kagoshima City.
One user joked on BlueSky about the relatively small size of the quake and said: ‘Did an earthquake occur while you were taking a bath?’
There was no immediate report of a tsunami warning, but large undersea earthquakes bring the risk of sending large waves to the shore.
Shaking at magnitude three is not likely to cause major disruption, but is ‘enough to knock over ornaments’, seismologist Glen Ford told the BBC after an earthquake of this size in the UK.
Since midnight, there have been six earthquakes in the past five hours ranging from 2.4 to six, according to the agency.
Is there a risk of tsunami?
The agency announced that slight sea level fluctuations are expected from this earthquake, but that there is no need to worry about damage.
It is highly likely that slight sea level fluctuations will continue for about two to three hours along the coasts of the Tanegashima and Yakushima regions, the Amami Islands, and the Tokara Islands.
Japan sits in a very seismologically active area and is frequently hit by earthquakes.
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The quake happened months after Japanese authorities warned of a potential “megaquake”.
In August, they told people to be alert but not evacuate, saying the probability of a major earthquake was higher than usual but it was not imminent.
The alert lasted a week before being called off.
In January, 62 people died when a 7.6 magnitude quake hit the country.
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