Japan has dropped the highest-level tsunami alert it issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents in coastal areas not to return to their homes as there could still be deadly waves.
The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu.
It was unclear how many people might have been killed or injured.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Sea of Japan off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4pm.
At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa prefecture, and more than 30,000 households were without electricity, he said.
The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.
Mr Hayashi stressed that it was critical for people to move away from coastal areas.
“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.
The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the sea could still generate waves of up to three metres (10 feet). Aftershocks could also hit the same area over the next few days, the agency said.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned that torrents of water could reach as high as five metres (16.5 feet). The network continued to air warnings hours later as aftershocks rocked the region.
People returning to get their wallets and other belongings have been known to be swept away and drowned even hours after the first evacuation warning. People were evacuated to stadiums, where they will likely have to stay for a few days.
Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighbourhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.
Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.
Mr Hayashi said no reports of deaths or injuries were confirmed from the quakes, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan’s military was taking part in rescue efforts, he said.
Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of a motorway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some mobile phone services in the region were not working.
The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast press conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.
More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.
Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who arrived to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.
“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.
Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia.
The Japanese government has set up a special emergency centre to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
A massive magnitude-7.6 earthquake has struck Ishikawa Prefecture. Fire department officials say they have received many reports of collapsed houses and calls for help from residents trapped underneath. Visit for updates:https://t.co/qoF8j5GhZV
— NHK WORLD News (@NHKWORLD_News) January 1, 2024
US President Joe Biden said in a statement that his administration was in touch with Japanese officials and “ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people”.
Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation, but a tsunami warning of the magnitude of Monday’s had not been issued since a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant in March 2011.
Government spokesman Mr Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area did not report any irregularities Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.
