TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.1 struck the Aleutian Islands on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

       The agency is investigating whether the quake, which occurred around 3:16 p.m. Japan Time, could trigger a tsunami affecting the Japanese archipelago.

       The Aleutian Islands are a chain of volcanic islands that mostly belong to the U.S. state of Alaska.

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