MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The earthquake struck at around 21:05 GMT on Thursday, about 102 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Yonaguni, the westernmost inhabited island of Japan.
The epicenter was located at a depth of around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), USGS said.
In April, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck to the east of Kumamoto city (the capital of Kumamoto Prefecture) on Japan’s Kyushu Island. It was followed by multiple aftershocks, including a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. Over 40 people were killed as a result of the natural disaster and more than 2,000 people were injured.
Japan is a seismically active region. In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake triggered a 46-foot tsunami that hit Japan's Fukushima nuclear power, leading to the leakage of radioactive materials and the shutdown of the plant. The accident is considered to be the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
