**A tsunami alert has been issued in Japan after a powerful earthquake struck near the Okinawan coast.**The Japan Meteorological Agency gave the strength as 6.9 while the US Geological Survey put it at 7.3.
It struck at 0531 (2031 GMT), 84km (52 miles) east of Naha, on the island of Okinawa, 29km (18 miles) below the seabed, Reuters news agency reports.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in the country, which is often hit by earthquakes.
In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.
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