The Japan Meteorological Agency said it is investigating the possibility of a tsunami reaching Japan after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile Saturday, Kyodo News reported.

In May 1960, a tsunami struck the coasts of Hokkaido and the Sanriku region after an earthquake in Chile and about 140 people were killed or went missing.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.8 struck near Concepcion in central Chile at around 3:34 AM local time, the US Geological Survey said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2010)