A 7.3 magnitude earthquake was detected by the Japanese Meteorological Agency north coast of Japan that was later downgraded to a 6.9 magnitude by the US Geological Survey.
According to the US Geological Survey the quake occurred at a depth of 11.3 kilometres off the coast of Fukushima.
The town was devastated in 2011 by the Great Sendai Earthquake which was recorded as the highest for Japan on the Richter scale at magnitude 9 that caused widespread damage on land and originated a number of large tsunami waves that destroyed many coastal areas including the Fukushima power plant, causing a catastrophic nuclear disaster of its own.
The earthquake occurred at 8:59pm on the 21st of November, Coordinated Universal Time (6:59am, 22/11/2016-PNG time) with aftershocks still occurring throughout the day.
According to The Japan News, the tsunami warning that was issued earlier has been lifted while advisory remains in place for waves up to one metre in length along Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.
The first surge of waves have already hit the shores measuring from 30 centimetres to 1.4 metre.
NHK, Japan’s national public broadcasting organization says there is a danger small waves could increase dramatically as they did in 2011.
“Please do not think that you are safe. Please evacuate to high grounds,” the network said. “Please think about the worst-case scenario and evacuate right away.”
Residents have been urged to move to higher grounds while authorities warn that landslides may occur in some areas; people are urged not to return to their houses until all the warnings are lifted.
