Earthquakes rattle Japanese island chain

A remote island chain in southern Japan has been rattled by more than 470 earthquakes since Saturday, the national weather agency said on Thursday, calling for residents to stay alert. No major damage has been reported from the series of quakes with a strength of at least one — slightly perceptible to people seated quietly indoors -- on Japan's seven-point seismic intensity scale. As of Thursday, 474 such earthquakes had been observed around the Tokara island chain, south of Kyushu, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. — AFP