Magnitude 7.6 earthquake triggers tsunami on Japan’s northern coast

Japan’s Meteorological Agency says 40cm (16-inch) tsunami observed at Mutsu Ogawara and Urakawa ports.

A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate.

A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after the earthquake occurred offshore at 11:15pm (14:15 GMT) on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm (16 inches) had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said.

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

The epicentre of the quake was 80km (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori prefecture, at a depth of 50km (30 miles), the agency added.