Japan agency cancels mistakenly issued M9.9 quake alert, transit disrupted

TOKYO - Japan's weather agency canceled a mistakenly issued warning of strong seismic shaking from an earthquake off northern Japan on Friday after overestimating the temblor's magnitude as a catastrophic 9.9, causing temporary public transport disruptions in parts of the country.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said its computer system erroneously determined the quake's focus, resulting in the magnitude being overestimated. It issued the warning for a wide area extending from northern to central Japan at 12:40 p.m., saying that the earthquake had occurred in the Chishima Islands, also known as the Kuril Islands, off Hokkaido.