Southern Japan was hit today by a powerful earthquake that authorities said did not warrant the kind of mega-quake warning that was first issued last year.

A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 struck in the Kyushu region at 9:19 p.m. (2:19 a.m. Hawaii time) today, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. After an investigation, the JMA said the quake did not require any special measures related to seismic activity in the Nankai Trough.

The Nankai Trough, where the Philippine Sea plate slips beneath the Eurasian plate on the seafloor off the southwest coast of Japan, causes major earthquakes about every 100-150 years. Strong nearby quakes are considered a potential indication that a megaquake may be more likely.

The JMA issued a week-long warning in August that the likelihood of a magnitude 9 megaquake was “relatively higher” after a magnitude 7.1 quake hit the southwest of the country.

Tsunami warnings for waves with a maximum height of 3.3 feet were issued for southern Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures following today’s quake. A 7.8-inch tsunami was later recorded reaching the city of Miyazaki, public broadcaster NHK reported. “Based on all available data, a destructive tsunami is not expected across the Pacific and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

All tsunami warnings were lifted around 02:50 GMT.

No abnormalities were reported at the Ikata nuclear power plant in western Japan and the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, NHK said, referring to the two plants closest to the site of the quake.