A tsunami alert was temporarily issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency for Miyako Island and Yaeyama region in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa following an earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 6. 7 at 10:46 a. m. Friday, Kyodo reported. The alert was lifted at 11:50 a. m. by the agency. The Japan Coast Guard and local fisheries associations said no damage occurred. When the alert was issued, the agency warned that waves could rise higher than the anticipated 50 centimeters in some areas when they coincide with high tide. The quake originated 180 kilometers northeast of Ishigaki Island. The focus was about 40 kilometers below the surface of the sea. It registered intensity 3 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 on Miyako Island. The region was hit by a total of three quakes in the morning including the second 10:46 a. m. temblor. The first one struck at 9:26 a. m. and the third one shook the region at 11:23 a. m. The first and the third quakes registered a preliminary magnitude of 6. 2. All the three quakes marked intensity 3 on Miyako Island, a level the agency says is strong enough to be felt by most humans in the affected area.
