Massive magnitude 7.6 earthquake rocks coast off northern Japan, tsunami waves observed
Japan's government issued a tsunami warning covering parts of the eastern coast of Honshu and Hokkiado.
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SENDAI, Japan — A magnitude 7.6 earthquake centered in the Pacific Ocean some 45 miles west of Misawa, Japan, shook the northern part of the archipelago around 11:15 p.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes off the coast of Japan.
(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
The quake was estimated to be nearly 33 miles below the surface, according to USGS.
Japan's government issued a tsunami warning covering parts of the eastern coast of Honshu and Hokkiado, and some prefectures issued some coastal evacuation orders.
Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) said it expected waves up to 9 feet in height for some prefectures closest to the epicenter. JMA has observed tsunami wave heights of 1.3 feet and 1.6 feet.
A tsunami advisory was issued for Fukishima Prefecture, the site of the March 2011 earthquake-caused nuclear reactor disaster.
USGS confirmed a magnitude 5.5 aftershock roughly 15 minutes after the initial quake.
Tsunami Warning
(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
One of Japan's high speed railway lines announced that service was suspended due to the quake.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat to Hawaii from the magnitude 7.6 quake. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Guam confirmed there was no threat to Guam or the greater Mariana Islands Archipelago, which are roughly 1,500 miles southeast of Japan.
Check back for updates on this developing story.