JAPAN has issued a major tsunami warning after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the country.
The quake hit the central region of Japan on Honshu island and shortly after 4pm local time – prompting calls for residents to evacuate to higher ground.
USGSA tsunami warning has been issued in Japan after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Ishikawa[/caption]
xPeople hide underneath tables at a bowling alley after the earthquake hit Japan[/caption]
XHuge cracks have appeared on roads in Japan[/caption]
It issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the northwestern coast of the island of Honshu.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned that torrents of water could reach as high as 5m (16.5ft) and urged people to flee to high land or a top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.
NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning and warnings were continuing to be aired nearly an hour after the initial alert.
The government was set to hold a news conference later in the day.
Reports of damage were not immediately available.
A tsunami of about 3m high was expected to hit Niigata and other parts of the western coast of Japan.
Smaller tsunami waves were already confirmed to have reached the coastline, according to NHK. The area includes a nuclear plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator, said it was checking for problems but there were no immediate reports of any irregularities.
Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation.
In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant.
South Korea‘s meteorological agency said the sea level in some parts of the Gangwon province on the east coast may rise.
APA tsunami warning is shown on TV in Yokohama, near Tokyo[/caption]
EPAThe Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the depth of the epicenter was shallow[/caption]
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