The Meteorological Agency launched an earthquake early warning system Monday designed to give the public a few precious seconds to take precautionary steps ahead of a major jolt.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20071002a4a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='246'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, minister of land, infrastructure and transport, pushes the button to start up the earthquake early warning system on Monday morning. </B> KYODO PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>The system is also programmed to forecast a quake's intensity. NHK and private broadcasters will provide the prequake information via TV and radio.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>But the system's limits were already revealed by an early morning quake Monday in Kanagawa Prefecture and surrounding areas. No warning was triggered although the quake measured upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale to 7 in the Hakone hot-spring resort area.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Though not officially launched until 9 a.m., the warning system was in operation before the 2:21 a.m. temblor and logged an anticipated intensity of 'larger than around 4.' Had the prediction reached at least lower 5, the agency would have issued a warning.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'It was difficult to –

predict (the size of the quake) because only limited areas suffered major tremors," a Meteorological Agency official explained.

The quake posted an intensity of lower 5 in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, where a 60-year-old woman fell and dislocated her shoulder. A 60-year-old man was taken to a hospital after the quake made him feel sick, according to local authorities.

The temblor was also felt across the Kanto region, registering an intensity of 4 in Manatsuru, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture.

The focus of the quake was about 14 km underground in western Kanagawa Prefecture, the agency said. No tsunami warning was issued.

East Japan Railway Co. temporarily suspended operations between Atami and Tokyo stations and Hiratsuka and Atami stations on the Tokaido Line, officials said.

In line with the new prequake warnings, the flagship department store of Mitsukoshi Ltd. in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district and Yaesu Shopping Mall Co., which operates the underground shopping mall at JR Tokyo Station, have decided to introduce a public address system that will announce to shoppers: "A big tremor is coming soon."

Using similar systems introduced in August 2006, railroads can stop trains or construction companies halt the operation of cranes or evacuate workers ahead of an anticipated earthquake.

The Meteorological Agency plans to revise an existing meteorological law requiring NHK to issue early warning of flooding and tsunami to include prequake announcements, officials added.

Some municipalities, including Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, and Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, make public the Fire and Disaster Management Agency's emergency warnings.