Japan issued a tsunami warning after a 7.6-magnitude west coast earthquake

As a result of a powerful earthquake, tsunami warnings and orders to evacuate have been issued throughout the western coast of central Japan.

At 4:10 p.m. local time (07:10 GMT), a magnitude 7.6 earthquake disrupted train and plane operations and cut power to tens of thousands of homes. Housing fell near the epicentre at Wajima, on the Noto peninsula, reportedly trapping six people.

Some Sea of Japan coastlines have seen three-metre waves. NHK, Japan’s national television, said waves can reach five metres.

Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama were the main targets of JMA tsunami warnings. The north and south of Hokkaido and Kyushu islands received weaker warnings.

At least forty 3.5-magnitude earthquakes occurred between 4 and 7.30 p.m.

A large fire in Wajima destroyed at least six dwellings. No fire-related deaths or injuries have been reported.

Local hospitals have received many injuries; however, patient transfer is difficult due to road conditions.

Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, told NHK that citizens should be prepared for future earthquakes and that officials were still assessing the damage.

Said, “I urge people in areas where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible, and residents need to stay on alert for further possible earthquakes.” Buildings appeared 190 miles (300 kilometres) distant in Tokyo.

The JMA reported a series of earthquakes at Noto on Honshu’s west coast that struck swiftly. The initial 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit at 4:06 p.m. local time. The magnitudes were 7.6 at 4:10, 6.1 at 4:18, 4.5 at 4:13, 4.6 at 4:29, and 4.8 at 4:32. Soon later, the USGS reported another 6.2 earthquake.

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NHK encouraged locals to seek higher ground immediately and stay cautious for aftershocks and tsunamis.

The most damaged peninsula, the Noto, is south of Takaoka city, where a Tokyo resident spending the new year told The Guardian, “We’re not that close to the coast, so tsunamis are not a worry, but the aftershocks just keep coming and shaking the whole house; it’s terrifying.”

Government spokeswoman Hayashi Yoshimasa advises civilians to prepare for future earthquakes and that the Japan Self-Defence Forces will help rescue and recover victims.

NHK footage appeared to show Ishikawa buildings crumbling. The utility operator Hokuriku Electric estimated that over 36,000 houses in Toyama and Ishikawa lost electricity.

Japan practices emergency exercises and has strict construction standards to ensure structures can withstand big earthquakes.

Earthquake-generated waves on the Sea of Japan reach land in less than ten minutes, faster than Pacific coast waves. A tsunami from the 2011 magnitude-9 earthquake reached the coast in 30 minutes.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan reports no problems at nuclear power reactors near the Sea of Japan. Kansai Electric Power operates five reactors in Takahama and Ohi in Fukui prefecture. Six sites with 22 reactors are affected by the shoreline.

The agency said the two reactors at Hokuriku’s Shika site in Ishikawa, the closest to the earthquake’s epicentre, were shut down for a normal check and were unaffected.

Japan is the most earthquake-prone nation. A major earthquake and tsunami in the northeast killed 18,000 people on March 11, 2011. The disaster caused Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdowns and town demolitions. Most of Japan’s nuclear power plants are on hold after the catastrophe.