<p>The undersea quake hit at a shallow depth of 9.9 kms, 77 kms west of Chichi-shima island at 8:58 pm local time, the USGS said.<br /><br />Around 20 per cent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" surrounding the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />Thousands gathered last week to remember more than 6,400 victims of the huge earthquake that devastated Kobe in 1995, amid warnings from geologists that Japan was overdue another major quake.</p>
<p>The undersea quake hit at a shallow depth of 9.9 kms, 77 kms west of Chichi-shima island at 8:58 pm local time, the USGS said.<br /><br />Around 20 per cent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" surrounding the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />Thousands gathered last week to remember more than 6,400 victims of the huge earthquake that devastated Kobe in 1995, amid warnings from geologists that Japan was overdue another major quake.</p>