A tsunami alert has been triggered in Japan after a huge earthquake rocked the country today.
The 7.3 magnitude earth hit the eastern region of Fukushima at around 11.30pm local time on Wednesday.
Government body Japan Safe Travel said that it expects a one metre tall wave to crash on the coastal regions of Miyagi and Fukushima following the incident.
Locals have been urged to get out of the water and leave the affected regions immediately.
A spokesperson for Japan Safe Travel said: “Tsunami Advisory has been issued on March 16, 11.39pm. A tsunami with an estimated height up to 1m is expected to strike the coastal regions of Miyagi/Fuckushima.
“Get out of the water and leave coastal regions immediately.”
The earthquake is reportedly one of the largest that Japan has felt in recent years, with some areas experiencing blackouts, the Daily Star reports.
Residents in the Tohku region of the country were subjected to prolonged periods of shaking while the shockwaves moved across the country.
It is unclear if there have been any casualties as a result of the incident.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that government is working to assess the extent of any damage due to the earthquake.
Only last week, Japan paid tribute to those died in a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011, which triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
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