Minor tsunami hits Japanese islands

A minor tsunami hit a group of Japanese islands in the Pacific early Sunday following an earthquake, but there were no reports of damage or injuries, officials and news reports said.

The magnitude 5.7 quake struck at 1:50 am (1650 GMT Saturday) some 456 kilometres (283 miles) south of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said.

Earlier the Japanese meteorological agency measured it as magnitude 5.9.

Following the quake, which hit a very shallow point of the seabed, the agency issued a tsunami warning of up to one metre (3.3 feet) for the Izu island chain, south of Tokyo, and the Ogasawara archipelago, far south in the Pacific Ocean.

A wave of 50 centimetres reached Hachijojima island, one of the Izu islands, while minor waves were also recorded on the coast of several other small islands in the region, the agency said.

About two hours after the jolt, the agency cancelled the warning, while no injuries or damages were reported, local media said.

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