Earthquake strikes southern Japan

An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter-scale emanated off the south coast of Japan on Sunday morning, believing to have resulted in the death of one person and injuries of up to a further 381 people, according to early television news reports. Authorities for Fukuoka city, located southwest of Tokyo, have confirmed 107 injuries caused by the quake.The earthquake’s epicenter occurred west of the island of Kyushu at an unusually shallow depth of 8.8 kilometers below the ocean floor, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA). The initial trembler was followed by a series of aftershocks, with at least one measuring a 4.2 magnitude on the scale. The JMA issued a warning of a possible tsunami resulting from the quake but later lifted the alert. The agency warns that aftershocks of up to 6.0 on the Richter-scale could follow.