An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 struck late Thursday off the south coast of Japan, the weather agency said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the offshore temblor struck at 11:53 p.m. local time at a latitude of 32.6 degrees north and a longitude of 132.1 degrees east.

The quake occurred at a provisional depth of 30 km, the JMA said.

The quake registered 4 on Japan's seismic scale which peaks at 7, in areas in Miyazaki, Kumamoto and Oita prefectures, the agency said.

The sizable tremor also registered in Kochi, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka and Saga prefecture on Japan's seismic intensity scale.

The magnitude-5.2 quake was quickly followed by a M4.0 quake at 12:08 a.m. which occurred at the same spot, believed by the weather agency to be an aftershock.

The JMA has not issued a tsunami alert or advisories as a result of the either quakes.

Source: Xinhua