6.3 Earthquake Hits Japan; Tsunami Advisory Issued

AOL News, Dana Chivvis, Contributor, AOL News Surge Desk

(Oct. 4) -- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck this evening in Japan near the southwestern Ryukyu Islands, the U.S. Geological Survey is reporting.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami advisory for the Miyakojima and Yaeyama areas. A tsunami of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) is expected.

The earthquake occurred at 10:28 p.m. local time (9:28 a.m. EDT) at the shallow depth of 22.3 miles. The epicenter of the quake was about 70 miles east of Ishigaki-jima, a city in the Ryukyu Islands and 200 miles southwest of Naha, Okinawa.