Earthquake hits Japan's southern islands

TOKYO: A strong 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan's southern islands on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, meteorology officials said.

The quake occurred at 4:38 am in waters near the main island of southern Okinawa prefecture.

Its epicentre was located about 40 kilometers (24 miles) below the seabed, Japan's meteorological agency said.

There was no danger of a tsunami, it said.