An aerial view of collapsed houses on Genkai Island near Fukuoka Prefecture, after a strong earthquake hit the area.

The 10:53 a.m. quake, which registered a maximum intensity of lower 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 in Fukuoka Prefecture and southern Saga Prefecture, damaged many houses and paralyzed traffic and utilities.

The focus of the earthquake was 9 km below sea level in the Sea of Japan some 40 km northwest of the city of Fukuoka.

The quake was the strongest to hit Kyushu since May 1997 and the first one measuring more than magnitude 6 since 1898, the Meteorological Agency said.

The Japan Times Weekly: March 26, 2005
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