The epicenter was located 24.3 km (14.1 miles) SSE of Saiki (population 49 065), 38 km (23.6 miles) SSE of Tsukumiura (population 21 658), and 40.4 km (25.1 miles) ENE of Nobeoka (population 121 949), Japan.
There are about 1.7 million living within 100 km (62 miles).
10,000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking and 520,000 moderate shaking.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides, fires and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses.