A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has hit south-western Japan, the country's Meteorological Agency says.
Tsunami warnings were issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the temblor was centred, in the south-western island of Kyushu, as well as nearby Kochi Prefecture, shortly after the quake struck at 9.19pm on Monday (11.19pm AEDT), according to the agency.
The extent of damage was not immediately clear.
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Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
More to come.