MAGNITUDE 7.6 QUAKE HITS JAPAN, TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake on Monday hit Ishikawa in central Japan, triggering a tsunami warning.

Residents were advised to evacuate to higher ground despite the cold and prepare for possible aftershocks.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that a tsunami around 1 meter high or 3.3 feet struck parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan, with a larger wave expected.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.

“All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground,” NHK said after the quake hit the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture around 4:10 p.m. local time.

It said that another earthquake warning had been issued for Ishikawa.

Hazardous tsunami waves of up to 5 meters high or 16.4 feet were possible along the north coast of central Japan within 300km (186 miles) of a magnitude 7.5 quake’s epicenter, according to  US and Japanese agencies.

Yoshimasa Hayashi,  top government spokesperson, said in an emergency news conference that authorities were still checking the extent of the damage and warned residents to prepare for possible further quakes.

Footage aired by NHK appeared to show buildings collapsing in Ishikawa, and tremors shook buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast.

Utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said more than 36,000 households lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures,.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui prefecture.

Hokuriku’s Shika plant in Ishikawa, which was located the closest to the quake’s epicenter,  had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspection.

According to South Korea’s meteorological agency, the sea level in some parts of the Gangwon province on the east coast may rise following the powerful quake.

The 7.6 earthquake that hit Japan is the strongest recorded in the Noto Peninsula region in Ishikawa prefecture since 1885.

An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday’s event marks the first time a major tsunami warning was issued since March 11, 2011.