Tsunami alert for Japan after 7.4-magnitude earthquake – with 10ft waves expected ‘immediately’ and coastal regions told to evacuate

Japanese authorities issued a tsunami warning and told people to evacuate after an earthquake was detected on the country’s northeastern coast.

A three-metre (10 ft) tsunami wave is expected to hit Iwate prefecture and parts of Hokkaido “immediately” after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake was recorded at 4.53pm local time (7.53am UK time).

Japanese media reported that tsunamis are also expected in Aomori, Miyagi, and Fukushima in the next hour, but these waves are expected to be only 3 ft high.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Pacific Ocean and was six miles deep.

The tremor was reportedly strong enough to shake large buildings as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers away.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned those near water to get to safety: ‘Immediately evacuate from coastal areas and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building.

‘Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. ‘Do not leave the safe area until the warning is lifted.’

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office said it established a crisis management team following the earthquake.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries, located on four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’.

The archipelago, home to about 125 million people, typically experiences about 1,500 tremors each year, accounting for about 18 percent of the world’s earthquakes.

While the damage they cause varies depending on their location and the depth below the Earth’s surface they hit, the majority are mild.

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred in 2011 triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

More to follow.