A powerful earthquake has struck central Japan’s western coastline, prompting tsunami alerts and warnings for residents to evacuate as well as knocking out power to thousands of homes.
The quake, which had a preliminary magnitude reading of 7.6, triggered waves of about 1 metre (3.3ft) along parts of the Sea of Japan coast. The Japanese public broadcaster NHK said waves could reach as high as 5 metres.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued tsunami warnings for the prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.
Authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage and residents neeed to prepare for any more tremors, the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said in comments broadcast on NHK.
“Residents need to stay on alert for further possible quakes and I urge people in areas where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible,” he said. Buildings shook 190 miles (300km) away in Tokyo.
The JMA said the Noto region, on the west coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, experienced a rapid succession of earthquakes, starting with a 5.7-magnitude tremor at 4.06pm local time. This was followed by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake at 4:10 pm, one measuring 6.1 at 4:18 pm, another measuring 4.5at 4:23 pm, a 4.6-magnitude quake at 4:29 pm and 4.8 quake at 4:32 pm. Another earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.2, hit soon afterwards, the US Geological Survey said.
NHK issued warnings urging people to evacuate quickly to higher ground and to be beware of aftershocks and further tsunami.
A government spokesperson, Hayashi Yoshimasa, said residents should prepare for possible further quakes.
Footage broadcast by NHK appeared to show buildings collapsing in Ishikawa. More than 36,000 households lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, according to the utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power.
Japan has strict construction regulations intended to ensure buildings can withstand strong earthquakes and routinely holds emergency drills to prepare for a major jolt.
Earthquakes that strike off the Sea of Japan coast are known to cause tsunami that can reach the shore in less than 10 minutes, faster than those on the Pacific coast. The magnitude 9 equake of 2011 triggered a tsunami that took approximately 30 minutes before it hit the coastline.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities had been reported 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 the closest to the quake’s location, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for a regular inspection and experienced no impact from the quake, the agency said.
Japan is a quake-prone country. A huge earthquake and tsunami that struck north-east of the country on 11 March 2011 killed 18,000 people. The disaster devastated towns and triggered nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Nearly all of Japan’s nuclear power plants have been mothballed since the disaster.
Reuters and and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
