Strong earthquake of magnitude 6.1 shakes southern Japan

Tokyo: A strong earthquake has hit southern Japan, but there is no danger of a tsunami in the area.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says the quake Wednesday had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1.

It happened off the coast of the Minamidaito island, near Okinawa, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) southwest of Tokyo.

The agency did not issue a tsunami alert and said there was no danger of damage from waves.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.