42 AM GMT), at a depth of about 18 miles (29 km), according to Japan’s meteorological agency.

Officials said nine people were injured on the island of Kyushu, but the injuries were mostly minor.

There were no reports of serious damage, and tsunami advisories were later lifted.

Earlier, Japan’s earthquake monitors said the magnitude was 6.

9, before revising it up to 7.

1.

Officials issued a tsunami advisory, and residents in coastal and Miyazaki prefectures were asked to evacuate until the warning was lifted.

However, the quake prompted seismologists to hold an emergency meeting in which they reassessed and raised the level of risk of major quakes associated with the Nankai Trough east of southern Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first-ever warning of the risk of a huge earthquake on the country’s Pacific coast following the quake that struck Kyushu.

Japan’s Prime Minister canceled his plans to visit Central Asia for summits with regional leaders after weather officials flagged that the risk of a major Pacific coast earthquake was higher than usual, public broadcaster NHK said.

Although the warning does not indicate such a quake will definitely happen, Japan is set to cancel Mr.

Kishida’s trip to prepare for any eventuality, but hopes to hold some of the meetings online instead, NHK added.

The visit to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia was originally scheduled to run from Friday to Monday.

Mr.

Kishida was to have traveled to Kazakhstan on Friday, followed by a visit to Uzbekistan before heading to Mongolia for a summit on Monday.

The meteorological agency’s advisory warns of a higher probability of a huge earthquake in the Nankai Trough, an ocean-floor trench running along Japan’s Pacific coast, where previous quakes have triggered enormous tsunamis.

Japan estimates a 70% to 80% probability of an earthquake of magnitude 8 or 9 happening around the trough in the next 30 years, according to the infrastructure ministry.

Advisories rather than warnings are issued when the waves are not expected to exceed 1 meter (3.

3 feet), meaning they are relatively minor but still pose a risk.

Some unverified videos on social media show cars and small structures shaking, with several shops sustaining damage.

The Miyazaki police chief told the broadcaster that they were checking if there had been any structural damage to buildings, but so far no damage had been reported.

The Japanese government has set up a special task force in response to the quakes, AFP reported, citing a statement.

There were no immediate signs of major damage, according to the agency.

Japan, one of the world’s most tectonically active countries, has strict building standards designed to ensure structures can withstand even the most powerful earthquakes.

In 2011, Japan recorded its biggest earthquake on record with a massive magnitude of 9.

0.

The quake’s epicenter was just off its northeast coast, and it triggered a large tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

The catastrophe also sent three reactors into meltdown at the nuclear plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since.