A 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit off the Naze area of Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture, located on the Kyushu Island, the US Geological Survey (USGS) data showed early on Saturday.

The epicentre of the quake was located 174 kilometres (108 miles) to the northwest of Naze at the depth of 237.7 kilometres.

There were no immediate reports about casualties or damage caused by the quake.

Earthquakes with magnitudes above 6.0 Richter scale are considered to be strong earthquakes, which can deal damage to a moderate number of structures in populated areas. It is usually felt in up to hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre