Powerful earthquake hits Japan

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the quake originated off Uchiura Bay in the southwestern part of the northernmost main island at a depth of about 10 kilometers. It registered lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 1 to 7.

The quake came roughly two months after a major earthquake hit the southernmost island of Kyushu and killed 49 people.

Japan has had a long history of earthquakes and seismic activity. It is an area of high seismicity because of its location near three major tectonic plate boundaries, and is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Japan’s strongest quake on record was one measuring 9 on the Richter scale that struck the northeast coast on March 11th, 2011, unleashing a massive tsunami and killing nearly 20,000 people, Reuters reported./.