Powerful quake strikes Japan

A POWERFUL magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Japan’s southern-most main island of Kyushu yesterday, killing an elderly woman, injuring up to 400 people and forcing hundreds to flee their homes.

The focus of the shallow quake was off the western coast of Fukuoka Prefecture, about 900km southwest of Tokyo on the island of Kyushu.

It was felt as far away as Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of office buildings swaying in Fukuoka city, piles of glass from shattered windows and cracks in pavements. The quake also tilted many buildings around northern Kyushu.