7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Japan: Tsunami Warning Issued

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Japan's Kyushu Island, prompting a tsunami warning for seven prefectures. According to the initial assessment by the Japanese National Institute of Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED), the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1.The Japanese government issued an emergency earthquake warning for the prefectures of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki. As reported by Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the earthquake may have been felt at a level 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, which ranges from 1 to 7, in the Kumamoto prefecture. A tsunami warning of up to 1 meter was also issued for coastal areas.