Japan's Megaquake advisory follows 7.1 magnitude tremor

Japan's earthquake scientists have warned of the possibility of a coming "megaquake" after eight people were injured Thursday by one of magnitude 7.1 in the south.

It was the first advisory issued under a new system drawn up following a major quake in 2011. 

A government spokesman declined to comment on a report by broadcaster NHK that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will cancel a trip to Central Asia from Friday following the warning.

Traffic lights and cars shook and dishes fell off shelves during Thursday's tremor off the southern island of Kyushu, but no serious damage was reported.

Sitting on top of four major tectonic plates, the Japanese archipelago of 125 million people sees some 1,500 quakes every year, most of them minor.