TOKYO - A strong earthquake rocked a chain of small islands south of Tokyo Sunday, in a series of quakes following a flare-up of volcanic activity in late June.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major property damage from the quake, which measured a 5.8 on the Richter scale.

The meteorological agency said that the quake occurred at 9:18 a.m. (0018 GMT) with its epicenter located near Miyakejima island, 175 kilometers (110 miles) south of Tokyo.

A volcano, Mount Oyama, on Miyakejima exploded back to life on July 8 for the first time in 17 years with a series of steam eruptions following undersea volcanic activity.