Japan hit by earthquake, no tsunami warning issued

A powerful offshore earthquake, measured at 8.5 magnitude, today shook eastern Japan, but officials say no tsunami threat has been issued so far.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says the offshore earthquake struck Saturday at 8:24pm at a depth of 590 kilometers.

Public broadcaster NHK said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The meteorological agency did not issue a tsunami warning because the quake struck so far beneath the earth's surface.

The Ogasawara islands are about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo.

Earlier this week, more than 100 people were ordered to evacuate after a volcano erupted on the tiny southern Japanese island of Kuchinoerabu on Friday morning.

Japan’s meteorological agency raised the alert level to five – the highest on its scale – and ordered the island’s 140 residents to evacuate. It added that no injuries or damage had been reported following the eruption, which occurred eight months after 57 people died after Mount Ontake in central Japan erupted without warning.

More soon.