A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on Monday, triggering a tsunami advisory and prompting widespread emergency responses across the region. The quake, one of the most significant to hit the country in recent years, caused power outages and disrupted rail and road transportation in affected prefectures.

Japanese authorities issued a tsunami advisory following the tremor, urging residents in coastal areas to move to higher ground as a precaution. Officials monitored wave activity along the southern coastline in the hours after the quake struck.

The earthquake knocked out electricity for thousands of residents and caused disruptions to public transit networks, according to early reports. Emergency crews were deployed to assess structural damage and respond to any injuries. Japan's meteorological agency and disaster management officials activated standard protocols developed after past major seismic events.

Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences frequent seismic activity. The country has some of the most advanced earthquake early warning and tsunami response systems in the world, developed in large part following the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Authorities were urging calm while continuing to assess the full scope of Monday's event.