A massive earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 has hit central Japan, triggering a tsunami warning and advisories for residents to evacuate.

A tsunami about one metre high struck parts of the coast along the Sea of Japan with a larger wave expected, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.

Another earthquake warning was also issued for Ishikawa on Monday evening, NHK reported.

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A major tsunami warning means there is a possibility of waves of more than 3 metres.

Russia also issued tsunami warnings in its far eastern cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.

Authorities are assessing the extent of any damage and residents need to prepare for any more tremors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in comments aired on NHK.

“Residents need to stay on alert for further possible quakes and I urge people in areas where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible,” Kishida said.

“Run!” flashed a bright yellow warning aired on NHK advising residents in specific areas of the coast to immediately evacuate their homes.

Footage by the broadcaster showed a building collapsing in a plume of dust in the coastal city of Suzu and residents in Kanazawa city cowering under tables as tremors shook their homes.

The quake jolted buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast.

Damage checked

Top government spokesperson Hayashi Yoshimasa told an emergency press conference authorities were still checking the extent of the damage and warned residents to prepare for possible further quakes.

Footage aired by NHK appeared to show buildings collapsing in Ishikawa, and tremors shook buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast.

More than 36,000 households lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said.

It said Hokuriku Electric Power was checking for any irregularities at its nuclear power plants.

High-speed rail services to Ishikawa have been suspended while telecom operators Softbank and KDDI reported phone and internet service disruptions in Ishikawa and Niigata, according to their websites.

Japanese airline ANA turned back four planes mid-air as they headed to airports in Toyama and Ishikawa, while Japan Airlines cancelled most of the flight services to Niigata and Ishikawa regions for the rest of the day, according to TV Asahi.

Public holiday

Monday’s quake struck during the January 1 public holiday when millions of Japanese traditionally visit temples to mark the new year.

In Kanazawa, a popular tourist destination in Ishikawa, images showed the remnants of a collapsed torii gate strewn at the entrance of a shrine as anxious worshippers looked on.

Kanazawa resident Ayako Daikai said she had evacuated to a nearby school with her husband and two children soon after the earthquake hit.

The upper floors of the four-storey school had filled with residents, she said.

“We haven’t decided when to return home yet,” she told Reuters when contacted by telephone.

In nearby Wajima, images showed collapsed houses and a huge crack along a concrete road where panicked-looking parents clutched their children.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.

Hokuriku’s Shika plant in Ishikawa, which was located the closest to the quake’s epicentre, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspection and did no experience any impact from the quake, the agency said.

A spokesperson for Kansai Electric Power said there were currently no abnormalities at its nuclear power plants but the company was monitoring the situation closely.

A huge earthquake and tsunami struck north-eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, devastating towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.

-Reuters