Japan earthquake – live: Tsunami warning issued after one person killed amid hundreds of tremors

Japan’s weather agency has officially downgraded all tsunami warnings to tsunami advisories.

The agency is still calling on residents to stay on the alert as they say earthquakes of a similar intensity will remain a possibility for about a week, national broadcaster NHK reports.

A tsunami warning indicates there is a risk of 3m waves or more and was enforced this morning.

However, an advisory means the weather agency believes waves could reach heights of up to 1m.

The quake comes at a sensitive time for Japan’s nuclear industry, which has faced fierce opposition from some locals since a 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima. Nearly 20,000 people were killed and whole towns devastated in the disaster.

Japan last week lifted an operational ban imposed on the world’s biggest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which has been offline since the 2011 tsunami.

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 Powers Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.

Hokuriku’s Shika plant in Ishikawa, the closest nuclear power station to the quake’s epicentre, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspections and saw no impact from the quake, the agency said.

More than 80 earthquakes have been recorded across the country, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The quakes have been near-continuous and range in magnitude from 3 to 7.6.

In Kanazawa, a popular tourist destination in Ishikawa, images showed the remnants of a shattered stone gate strewn at the entrance of a shrine as anxious worshippers looked on.

Kanazawa resident Ayako Daikai said she had evacuated to a nearby elementary school with her husband and two children soon after the earthquake hit. Classrooms, stairwells, hallways and the gymnasium were all packed with evacuees, she said.

“We haven’t decided when to return home yet,” she said.

Two people have been confirmed dead in Japan after the earthquakes, state broadcaster NHK has reported.

The circumstances of their deaths were not disclosed, while the emergency services are dealing with a number of others remain trapped under collapsed buildings.

Over 36,000 homes are also without power, with temperatures expected to drop to freezing this evening.

Japan’s meteorological agency has urged people to remain evacuated and have said that tsunamis are still being recorded.

Emergency services are currently dealing with at least 30 collapsed buildings with six reports of people being trapped under the rubble.

Images carried by local media showed a building collapsing in a plume of dust in the coastal city of Suzu and a huge crack in a road in Wajima where panicked-looking parents clutched their children. There have been reports of at least 30 collapsed buildings in Wajima, NHK reported, citing the city’s fire department.

The quake also jolted buildings in the capital Tokyo, some 500 km from Wajima on the opposite coast.

More than 36,000 households had lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said.

High speed rail services to Ishikawa have been suspended while telecom operators Softbank and KDDI reported phone and internet service disruptions in Ishikawa and Niigata, according to their websites.

Japanese airline ANA turned back planes headed to airports in Toyama and Ishikawa, while Japan Airlines cancelled most of its services to Niigata and Ishikawa regions and authorities said one of Ishikawa’s airports was closed.

The Wajima City Fire Department in Ishikawa says it has received at least 30 reports of buildings collapsing.

While the “major tsunami warning” for the Ishikawa Prefecture has been downgraded to a “tsunami warning”, officials are still urging caution, with people in the area being asked to evacuate.

“Run!” a bright yellow warning flashed across television screens advising residents in specific areas of the coast to immediately evacuate their homes

Several houses have been destroyed and army units have been dispatched to help with rescue operations, top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, adding that authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage.

More strong quakes in the area, where seismic activity has been simmering for more than three years, could occur over coming days, JMA official Toshihiro Shimoyama said.

In comments to the press shortly after the quake struck, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also warned residents to prepare for more disasters.

“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,” Kishida said.