6.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Bonin Islands region of Japan

BREAKING: A 6.5-magnitude earthquake strikes the Bonin Islands region of Japan.

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has struck the Bonin Islands region of Japan.

The Bonin Islands, also known as the Ogasawara Islands, sit far out in the Pacific, roughly a thousand kilometres south of Tokyo. They are remote, sparsely populated, and sit along one of the most seismically active stretches of the planet. You can see the seismograph reading here, recorded as the quake hit.

The Japan Meteorological Agency monitors this zone constantly, and quakes in this region are often deep, which can limit damage on the surface. At this hour there are no confirmed reports of casualties or a tsunami warning, and we will bring you any updates as they come.

A 6.5 anywhere near Japan is a serious event, and the next few hours will tell us how serious this one is.

This is Angel Manalo, reporting for HIT.