A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu on Thursday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, local authorities said.
The quake struck at 9:26 pm (1226 GMT) in Kumamoto, central Kyushu at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The earthquake was felt throughout the southwestern island of Kyushu, Agency data showed, as media reported that shinkansen, or bullet, train service was halted.
There were no immediate reports of injuries but public broadcaster NHK showed some damage including broken concrete. Residents stood outside making calls on mobile phones.
Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences around 20 percent of the world’s most powerful earthquakes.