A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Jan. 1, triggering
warnings for residents to evacuate some coastal areas, knocking
out power to thousands of homes and disrupting flights and rail
services to the affected region.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 triggered waves
of around 1 meter along parts of the Sea of Japan coast with a
larger wave expected,
The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings
for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama,
marking the first major warnings since the March 2011 earth -
quake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan.
A major tsunami warning means there is a possibility of waves
of more than 3 meters.
Russia also issued tsunami warnings in its far eastern cities of
Vladivostok and Nakhodka.
Authorities are assessing the extent of any damage and residents
need to prepare for any more tremors, Prime Minister Fumio
Kishida said in comments aired on NHK.
