Strong quake hits northern Japan, tsunami advisory lifted after 3 hours

A powerful quake rattled northern Japan Sunday evening, followed by several more temblors, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. A tsunami advisory was issued.

The earthquake, with an upgraded magnitude of 6.9 and depth of 16 km, struck off the coast of Iwate prefecture at 5:03 pm Japan time.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, or any reports of abnormalities at the two nuclear power plants in the area.

The agency issued an advisory for a tsunami of up to 1 metre along the northern coastal region, and subsequently said the water could reach as high as 3 metres in some spots.

A tsunami of about 10 cm was detected at Ofunato city in Iwate Prefecture, Ominato port, Miyako and Kamaishi, and subsequently as high as 20 cm in the coastal area of Kuji. The tsunami that followed in Ofunato also reached 20 cm, according to the agency.

Tsunami waves that follow earthquakes can continue for a few hours afterward, hitting the coast repeatedly, and can possibly get bigger with time.

While the advisory was in place, people were warned to stay away from the ocean and coastal areas and told more shaking could follow in the area.

The tsunami advisory was lifted about three hours after the initial quake, but the meteorological agency told reporters the area was at risk for strong quakes for about a week, especially the next two or three days.

More quakes were recorded in Iwate Prefecture, and the northernmost major island of Hokkaido was also rocked by the series of quakes.

Northeastern Japan is prone to earthquakes, including a triple disaster of a quake, tsunami and a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, just south of Iwate, in March 2011, that killed nearly 20,000 people, mostly from the tsunami, and severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

More than a decade later, people still remain displaced from the no-go zone. Demonstrations are still periodically held, as recent as Saturday, to protest what is being seen as a lack of recognition by the authorities of the serious risks of nuclear power.

An agency official, briefing reporters late Sunday, said there was nothing to indicate the latest quake was directly related to the one in 2011, except that the region was generally at risk for major quakes, including another one that hit in 1992.

Bullet trains in the area were temporarily delayed, according to JR East railway operator. Japan, which sits on the Pacific ring of fire, is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.