Coastal residents in Japan were ordered to flee to higher ground on Tuesday after a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in Fukushima and another prefecture, and a tsunami advisory for much of the rest of northeast Japan's Pacific coast. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

Tsunamis of up to 90 centimeters (3 feet) were recorded about an hour after the 6 a.m. earthquake, and the tsunami warning area was widened later in the morning.

Fukushima prefecture is home to the nuclear power plant that was destroyed by a huge tsunami following an offshore earthquake in 2011.

The operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant said there were no abnormalities observed at the plant, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said.

NHK said that power was temporarily lost for cooling water for a spent fuel pool at the nearby Fukushima Dai-ni plant, but that it had been restored.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 6.9. The earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo, 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of the epicenter.


The meteorological agency said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). It revised up the magnitude from an initial reading of 7.3.

NHK urged people to evacuate immediately, reminding them of the devastating 2011 quake that killed about 18,000 people. (AP)