Tsunami alert as 7.5-magnitude tremor triggers urgent evacuation order

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast off Japan , triggering a tsunami warning for swathes of the northeastern coast.

The country's meteorological agency warned tsunami waves as tall as three metres were expected to hit parts of Japan's coast.

Areas expected to be the worst-hit include the coastlines along central Pacific Hokkaido, and Aomori and Iwate prefectures.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has urged people in affected areas to seek higher ground.

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Houses lose power and bullet trains suspended
Japan’s Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara has said that residents should stay inland until tsunami warnings are lifted.

Around 100 households are currently without power, he says.

A number of bullet train services in the northeast of the country have been suspended, including the Tohoku Shinkansen line, the Yamagata Shinkansen line and the Akita Shinkansen.

Footage posted on X shows tsunami alarms going off in Hakodate, a major port city in Hokkaido Prefecture.

NHK footage shows waves hitting coast
Possible aftershocks for a week
The Japan Meteorological Agency has cautioned people in the area against possible aftershocks for about a week.

These warnings are standard procedure following a major earthquake.

A tsunami of about 80 centimetres (2.6ft) has been detected at the Kuji port in the Iwate prefecture.

Residents have been advised to stay away from the coast or along rivers, and to take shelter on higher ground.

Residents in 11 towns in the Iwate prefecture have been issued non-binding evacuation advisories.

NHK has reported that the operator of the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant says there are no abnormalities there.

Many resettled elsewhere, with some towns remaining off-limits and lingering concerns about radiation.

Bigger tsunami may hit after first wave
In their news conference, officials from the Japan Meteorological Agency have warned people to evacuate to higher ground and keep watch for landslides or similar earthquakes later this week.

The agency has also warned that a bigger tsunami may hit after the first wave.

Tsunami warnings in parts of Hokkaido and Iwate prefectures have also now been issued.

Map showing earthquake warnings
The below map, provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency, shows the epicentre of the quake with a red X.

The areas highlighted in red have tsunami warnings, while the areas in yellow are labelled Tsunami Advisory.

Japan Meteorological Agency news conference
The Japan Meteorological Agency has just started a news conference - we will bring you all the key lines.

First waves reach Japanese coast
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has reported that a tsunami has been observed approximately 50km off the coast of Aomori, a prefecture in the northern part of Japan's main island.

The first tsunami waves are also reaching Iwate prefecture, with a wave as high as 40cm recorded in Miyako port.