An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck near the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean — about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo — on Tuesday morning, but there was no fear of a tsunami and no reports of injuries or serious damage to infrastructure, authorities said.
The quake occurred at 6:09 a.m., registering an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 on Hahajima island, according to the Meteorological Agency. It was the first time since 2015 that the island recorded an upper 5 in Ogasawara.
Following the quake, the government set up a liaison office at the Prime Minister's Office to gather information.
The quake also logged 4 on the seismic intensity scale on Chichijima island, according to the agency.
The two islands, located roughly 1,000 km south of the capital, are the only territories with inhabitants in the Ogasawara Island chain except for Iwo Jima, where Self-Defense Forces troops are stationed.
A weather agency official warned that further earthquakes of up to upper 5 on the intensity scale could occur over the coming week, especially in the next two to three days.