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Japan issues tsunami alert after major 7.5 quake

Hazardous tsunami waves of up to five metres were possible along the north coast of central Japan on Monday within 300 kilometres of the epicentre of a series of earthquakes, US and Japanese agencies say.

AP

Some news reports say three successive strong earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.7, 6.1, and 7.6 jolted Japan, leading to the tsunami warning. / Photo: AP

Japan has issued tsunami alerts after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported several quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) on Monday.

One of the most powerful quakes had a magnitude of 7.5, according to USGS.

In response, Japan issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.

NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired nearly an hour after the initial alert.

Meanwhile, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned "hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 kilometres of the epicentre along the coasts of Japan."

Powerful 7.3 magnitude quake hits north Japan, no tsunami risk

Smaller tsunami waves already confirmed

The Japanese government was set to hold a news conference later in the day. Reports of damage were not immediately available.

A tsunami of about 3 metre high was expected to hit Niigata and other prefectures on the western coast of Japan. Smaller tsunami waves were already confirmed to have reached the coastline, according to NHK.

The area includes a nuclear plant. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator, said it was checking for problems but there were no immediate reports of any irregularities.

Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant.