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6.8 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Japan

Map showing the location of the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck near Miyazaki, Japan on Monday. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey
Map showing the location of the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck near Miyazaki, Japan on Monday. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Miyazaki Prefecture Monday evening in Japan, initially setting off a tsunami warning before it was called off, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was 11 miles southeast of Miyazaki in the Hyuga Nada Sea at a depth of about 19 miles.

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Japanese authorities issued a tsunami advisory for Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures with an expected high of up to three feet, warning residents to stay away from the coast before being called off.

As a precaution, the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line operators suspended sections of service until the warning was called off.

The Ehime Prefecture Ikata nuclear power plant and the Kagoshima Prefecture Sendai nuclear power plant did not report any unusual activities during the warning, its operators said.

The earthquake comes nearly a week after a 7.1-magnitude quake struck a remote region of Tibet in China, killing at least 126 people and injuring nearly 200 more. That earthquake happened in the Dingri County mountainous region, near the border with Nepal and Mount Everest.

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