Japanese authorities urged people to evacuate coastal areas in western Japan after a massive earthquake Monday afternoon prompted major tsunami warnings.
The estimated magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Ishikawa and was followed by at least 20 aftershocks in the following hours, many at least magnitude 5.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama prefectures.
The agency estimated a tsunami with waves as high as five meters could hit Ishikawa. It gave that region its highest-level warning, one not issued since a 2011 earthquake and tsunami devastated northeastern Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported a tsunami with waves of 1.2 meters hit the port of Wajima in Ishikawa, with smaller tsunami waves hitting areas to the north and south.
Authorities warned that larger tsunamis could arrive after initial tsunamis reach the shore, and that more earthquakes are expected in the area.
A government spokesperson said there were no reported irregularities at any of the nuclear power plants near the epicenter.
The earthquake knocked out power to tens of thousands of households.
Authorities closed some major highways near the epicenter, and bullet train services between Tokyo and Ishikawa were suspended.
Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, located just north of Japan. There were also tsunami warnings for South Korea’s Gangwon province as well as parts of North Korea.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters
