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.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters that he had instructed relevant officials to gather information on the circumstances in the affected area and to prepare aid if necessary, the news agency said.

In May 1960, a tsunami hit the coasts of Hokkaido and the Sanriku region in northern Japan 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 a.m. local time, the U. S. Geological Survey said.