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U.S. Geological Survey

Magnitude-7.8 quake strikes off Japan's southern coast

Doug Stanglin
USA TODAY

A magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Japan on Saturday, shaking buildings in Tokyo and interrupting subway service, but causing no major damage or injuries.

Japanese soccer fans react to a strong earthquake as they watch a J-League soccer match between the Shonan Bellmare and the Sanfrecce Hiroshima at BMW Stadium in Hiratsuka, southwest of Tokyo, May 30, 2015. A powerful and extremely deep earthquake struck a group of remote Japanese islands and shook Tokyo on Saturday, but officials said there was no danger of a tsunami.

The epicenter was located 540 miles south of Tokyo in the Ogasawara Islands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which initially reported the quake as a magnitude-8.5.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reports that no tsunami warnings were issued.

The strong quake rattled buildings in the capital for about a minute, briefly shutting down subways, Japan Todayreports.

NHK reports that train service between Tokyo and Osaka was halted due to a power outage.

Naoki Hirata, an earthquake expert at the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Centre, told NHK that while it was a "very big quake" and "shaking was felt over a broad area," there was little danger of a tsunami because it it was centered 350 miles below the surface.

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