A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Miyazaki Prefecture Monday evening in Japan, initially setting off a tsunami warning before it was called off, officials said.

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan, prompting tsunami warnings for Miyazaki and Kochi Prefectures. The quake occurred at 9:19 pm local time, with damage assessments ongoing. Japan's location along the Ring of Fire makes it prone to seismic activity.

The quake struck at a depth of 36 kilometres around 18 kilometres off the coast of Miyazaki prefecture in the Kyushi region around 21:19 pm (1219 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.