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An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck northcentral Japan this Monday (1st), triggering a tsunami warning as well as warnings to residents to evacuate the affected area and prepare for possible new earthquakes.
A tsunami about 1 meter high hit parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan, with a larger wave of up to 5 meters still expected, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.
Government spokesman Hayashi Yoshimasa told an emergency news conference that authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage and warned residents to prepare for possible further earthquakes.
Images shown by NHK appeared to show collapsing buildings in Ishikawa and earthquakes shaking buildings in Tokyo on the opposite coast.
More than 36,000 households remained without power in Ishikawa and Toyama, utility Hokuriku said.
Japan's nuclear regulator said no irregularities had been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at the Ohi and Takahama power plants in Fukui Prefecture.
The Shika plant in Ishikawa, which was closest to the quake's epicenter, had already shut down its two reactors for regular inspections before the quake and was not affected by the quake, the agency said.
A massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, killing nearly 20,000 people, devastating cities and triggering a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said parts of the western coast of Sakhalin island, located near Japan on Russia's Pacific coast, could also be hit by a tsunami and that the local population would be evacuated, state news agency TASS reported.