Tsunami alert issued after 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Japan

A powerful earthquake off the northern Japanese coast has triggered a tsunami warning, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.

The magnitude 7.6 quake struck around 11.15 p.m. local time, triggering a tsunami of up to 40 centimetres that was observed in coastal communities, the agency said.

Japanese authorities have issued an alert and an evacuation order for people in affected areas, warning that waves of up to three metres could hit.

The affected areas are the Hokkaido prefecture town of Urakawa and the Aomori prefecture port of Mutsu Ogawara as well as the Iwate Prefecture.

Several people were injured at a hotel in the Aomori town of Hachinohe, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government has set up an emergency task force to assess the extent of damage.

“We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

Minoru Kihara, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, urged people in affected areas to evacuate to higher ground or move to safe buildings, such as evacuation shelters.

Nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks, NHK reported.

Japan has been affected by severe earthquakes in the past.

In 2011, the country experienced its most powerful earthquake ever recorded with a 9.1-magnitude quake off the northeastern coast of Honshu.

The quake caused a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damaged several nuclear reactors in the area.

More than 19,700 people were killed and sparked a major nuclear accident at Fukushima power station.