Breaking: Magnitude-7.1 quake hits Japan, sparks tsunami warnings

Japan's Kyushu island has been struck by two strong earthquakes within an hour. An initial magnitude-7.1 quake hit the Kumamoto prefecture at 4:35pm local time, before another magnitude-6.1 tremor struck 45 minutes later. What's next? The initial tremor sparked tsunami alerts for at least two prefectures, with waves of up to one metre expected. Japan's south-western Kyushu island has been struck by two strong earthquakes within an hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). An initial magnitude-7.1 quake hit the Kumamoto south-western prefecture at 4:35pm local time (5:35pm AEST) on Tuesday. The prefecture was then struck by nine additional aftershocks ranging in magnitude between 3.3 and 4.5, before a magnitude-6.1 tremor was recorded at 5:12pm (6:12pm AEST). The quakes hit just south of the town of Uki, near the prefecture's capital city, local authorities reported. Seismology authorities from Geoscience Australia and the United States Geological Survey reported the initial quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres below the sea's surface. A tsunami warning for a wave measuring 1 metre was issued after the earthquake, the JMA said. The Japanese government also issued emergency earthquake warnings for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki prefectures, all on Japan's southern Kyushu island. The tremor caused power outages for at least 48,000 households in the Kumamoto prefecture and fires broke out in several locations, Japan's state broadcaster NHK reported. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also confirmed a meeting of the country's Emergency Assembly Team was called in the Countermeasures Room to assess the quake. Ms Takaichi released a statement on X that urged local government ministries and emergency response agencies to immediately assess damage and to prioritise any necessary rescue of residents. Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes. Located along the "Ring of Fire" of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude-6 or more. Kumamoto was hit with a deadly quake in 2016 that left more than 50 people dead, 1,800 injured and tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. Kyushu Electric Power said there were no reports of irregularities at its Sendai and Genkai nuclear power stations after the earthquake. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at three nearby nuclear power plants. Train operator JR Kyushu said it had suspended services, including its high-speed Shinkansen trains following the quake.