New 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, tsunami warning lifted

A tsunami warning was lifted and no irregularities were reported at three nuclear plants early Saturday after a strong aftershock from a Thursday earthquake hit southern Japan, local media said, Reuters reports.

The new quake, measuring 7.1 magnitude according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, caused some injuries and trapped some people in the area around Kumamoto on the southernmost main island of Kyushu, public broadcaster NHK said.

A tsunami warning after the 1:25 a.m. (1025 ET) quake was lifted, media said. There were no irregularities at Kyushu’s Sendai nuclear plant, which continued to operated, or at the Genkai plant, also on Kyushu, or the Ikata plant on nearby Shikoku, NHK said.