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A magnitude 7.6 earthquake has hit north-eastern Japan, with reports thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes.<\/p>\n
The quake occurred at 23:15 (14:15 GMT) at a depth of 50km (31 miles), about 80km off the coast of the Aomori region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. <\/p>\n
It prompted tsunami warnings which have now been lifted, while waves of <\/b>70cm (27in) were seen.<\/p>\n
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at least seven people had been injured and warned residents to stay alert for new tremors for another week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Addressing citizens affected by the earthquake, she said: “Reconfirm your daily earthquake preparedness, such as ensuring that you secure furniture, and prepare to evacuate immediately if you feel shaking.”<\/p>\n
Orders were issued for about 90,000 residents to evacuate, according to Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n
The government has set up a response office within the prime minister’s crisis management centre and convened an emergency team, chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara has said.<\/p>\n
“We are making every effort to assess the damage and implement emergency disaster response measures, including rescue and relief operations,” he added.<\/p>\n
Some bullet train services have been suspended along the north-eastern coast.<\/p>\n
No irregularities were reported at the Higashidori and Onagawa nuclear power plants as a result of the quake, Tohoku Electric Power said.<\/p>\n
None were detected either at the disabled Fukushima nuclear power station site, the Japanese authorities told the International Atomic Energy Agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Fukushima was damaged when a magnitude 9.0 quake struck off the country’s eastern coast on 11 March 2011.<\/p>\n
That quake, the most powerful ever recorded in Japan, triggered a tsunami which swept over the main island of Honshu, killing more than 18,000 people and wiping entire towns off the map.<\/p>\n
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n