Japan lifts tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake hit near its outlying islands

Japan issued a tsunami advisory Thursday after a strong earthquake struck near its outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean, but lifted it about two hours later. No damage was reported. The advisory, the second-lowest of a four-stage warning system, asked people on islands in the Izu chain, which stretches south from the Tokyo region, to stay away from the coast and river mouths. The US Geological Survey said a series of offshore earthquakes hit the area on Thursday morning. The strongest measured magnitude 6.1 and was located at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), it said. The quake was not felt on the islands or in the Tokyo region, but the Japan Meteorological Agency warned that a tsunami as high as 1 meter (3.2 feet) could hit the coasts of the islands. A small tsunami measuring about 30 centimeters (1 foot) was observed at Yaene on Hachijo island, the agency said. No damage was reported and the agency lifted the tsunami advisory about two hours later. Japan is one of the most earthquake prone places on Earth. A massive magnitude 9.0 quake in 2011 triggered a tsunami that destroyed swaths of northern Japan and caused three reactors to melt at the Fukushima nuclear plant.