Japan gets alert for strong quake but only minor shake reported
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Japan's Meteorological Agency says it is investigating after it issued an alert for a very strong earthquake that turned out to be only a mild shake.
Loud alarms rang from cellphones and TVs just before 5 p.m. Japan time on Thursday, warning of an earthquake of magnitude 7.8, which could cause severe damage. It said residents throughout Japan should be prepared for a jolt.
A few minutes later the Meteorological Agency reported a magnitude 2.3 quake centered in Wakayama prefecture, in western Japan. Under the Japanese system for measuring quakes, it barely registered.
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Broadcaster NHK said the agency blamed electronic noise for triggering the apparently false alarm.
Japan beefed up its warning systems following a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 that killed more than 18,000 people.