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Southern Japan struck by strong quake near feared Nankai Trough area

Southern Japan was hit by a strong earthquake on Monday in an area that had actually been the topic of the country's very first megaquake advisory last year.

A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 struck the Kyushu region on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The JMA was investigating whether the quake was associated with the Nankai Trough, NHK said.

The Nankai Trough, where the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting under the Eurasia Plate at the bottom of the sea off the southwest coast of Japan, produces enormous earthquakes around every 100-150 years. Strong quakes close by are seen as a. possible indication that a megaquake might be more likely.

The JMA in August provided a week-long

advisory

for a reasonably higher possibility of a megaquake as effective. as magnitude 9 after a magnitude-7.1 quake hit the country's. southwest.

After Monday's quake, tsunami advisories for waves of a. optimum height of 1 metre were issued for the southern. prefectures of Miyazaki and Kochi. A 20-centimetre tsunami was. later on taped reaching Miyazaki city, public broadcaster NHK. reported.

There were no problems reported at the Ikata Nuclear. Power Plant in western Japan or the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant. in Kagoshima prefecture, NHK said, referring to the 2 plants. closest to where the quake took place.

(source: Reuters)