A tsunami warning has been put in place after a gigantic 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the coast of Fukushima in north Japan on Wednesday.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued warnings of a 3ft sea surge in parts of Miyagi and Fukushima after the earthquake hit 36 miles below the sea.
It is part of northern Japan which was previously hit by a deadly 9.0 quake and tsunami 11 years ago.
Buildings in Tokyo were rocked violently and more than two million homes in the area were plunged into darkness after the earthquake struck.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake hit at 11.36pm.
Already the tsunami might have reached some areas, NHK national television said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was assessing the extent of damage of the earthquake.
“Please first take action to save your life,” Kishida tweeted.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant where the cooling systems failed after the 2011 disaster, said workers were checking for any possible damage.
Japan’s Air Self-Defence Force dispatched fighter jets from the Hyakuri base, just south of Fukushima, to gather further information.
Most of East Japan Railway train services were suspended for safety checks.
There are no immediate reports of casualties.
