Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to the media about the situation following earthquake (Image: Getty)
A major tsunami warning was issued and residents told to evacuate their homes to seek shelter on “higher ground or on top of buildings”.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, warned the West Coast residents: “Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately.”
South Korea, North Korea and the Russian east coast also issued tsunami warnings to their people.
A total of 21 earthquakes above 4.0 magnitude hit Japan shortly after 4pm local time, 7am UK time, yesterday.
The quake left gaping cracks in road surfaces and demolished buildings In Suzu, a city close to the epicentre of the largest quake.
Wajima City’s Fire Department in Ishikawa reported more than 30 collapsed buildings and a huge fire which engulfing residential buildings in the city.
Video on social media showed terrified shoppers thrown to the ground in department stores and flooding at a train station after water pipes burst.
The earthquake struck as millions of Japanese flocked to temples to mark the New Year, and temple-goers were seen in footage crouching in fear as chunks of rock tumbled to the ground before them.
Japan’s meteorological agency said that the earthquake’s magnitude of 7.6 is the largest ever recorded in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture.
Waves up to 5m (16ft) were feared at first but the warning was later downgraded.
Debris is pictured in the grounds of the Onohiyoshi Shrine in the city of Kanazawa (Image: Getty)
The country’s meteorological agency reported waves of 1.2m hitting Wajima port in Ishikawa prefecture at 4:21pm local time just as darkness fell on the region.
Rescuers were searching the debris of several houses to evacuate trapped residents after Mr Hayashi said there were at least six people reported trapped under the rubble of their homes, those that number is expected to increase.
Elements of Japan’s military have been called up to aid in the rescue and evacuation efforts, Hayashi added, with a total of 51,000 told to abandon their homes.
The earthquakes triggered fears of a tsunami, with the meteorological agency initially warning citizens to brace for waves of up to 5 metres (16.4ft). Officials later downgraded the major warning to a regular tsunami warning.
A spokesman from the service warned there is still a “very high risk” of buildings collapsing, and strong tremors could continue for the “next two to three days”.
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He said: “Do not wander away from the safe place. There is a very high risk of buildings collapsing and other damages caused by the tremors. History tells us that the similar scale of earthquakes can reoccur within two to three days.”
Approximately 33,000 homes were out of power in Ishikawa and other prefectures, according the chief cabinet secretary.
The earthquake struck as millions of Japanese flocked to temples to mark the new year.
In Kanazawa, a popular tourist destination in Ishikawa, anxious worshippers gathered around the remnants of a collapsed torii gate — a traditional Japanese gate found at Shinto shrines.
Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, urged residents in the affected region to evacuate immediately.
A warning message on a screen from a live feed on NHK World asking people to evacuate from the area (Image: Getty)
An emergency response office was set up at the crisis management centre of the prime minister’s office.
Broadcaster NHK warned that tsunami waves could strike the Sea of Japan coast from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu Island in the south.
Ayako Daikai, a local resident in Kanazawa, said she had evacuated to a nearby school with her husband and two children shortly after the earthquake hit.
She said: “I also experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake, so I thought it would be safest to evacuate” .
Classrooms, stairwells, hallways and the gymnasium were all packed with evacuees, she said: “We haven’t decided when to return home yet.”
On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan, destroying towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns at plants in Fukushima.
Known in Japan as the Great Hanshin Earthquake, or Great East Japan Earthquake, the disaster killed more than 19,000 people and caused $360 billion in damage.
The undersea earthquake was measured at 9.0–9.1 magnitude. It was the most powerful earthquake recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900.
Tsunami waves of 40cm were reported at Kashiwazaki City, Niigata, close to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.
The world’s largest nuclear generating station had recently been cleared for reactivation after years of safety improvements following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan and killed thousands of people. Staff reported no irregularities at the plant on Monday.
Reports of damage were not immediately available, but Hokuriku Electric Power said it was checking for any irregularities at its nuclear power plants, NHK reported.
A spokesman for Kansai Electric Power said there were no abnormalities at its nuclear power plants, but the company was observing the situation closely.
