A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings across coastal regions, according to national broadcaster NHK.
Authorities have cautioned that waves as high as 3 metres could reach parts of Iwate Prefecture and Hokkaido, urging residents to move to higher ground.
Emergency services are on alert as officials assess potential damage and monitor the evolving situation.
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes.
In 2011, a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
