Japan issues tsunami warning after strong earthquakes in the Sea of Japan

TOKYO — Japan issued a Tsunami warning after a series of strong earthquakes struck the Sea of Japan on New Year’s Day.

Quakes occurred off the coast of Ishika and nearby prefectures after 4 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) with one reaching a magnitude of 7.6, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The agency issued tsunami warnings to the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama. Tremors were felt in Tokyo, Japan’s capital.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned the waves could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people on the entire West Coast to escape to the highest place as soon as possible.

The tallest wave so far was 1.2 meters (around 4 feet) detected at Wajima Port in Ishikawa at 5:21 p.m (3:21 a.m. ET), according to Japan’s Nippon TV, but had not yet breached the port’s defenses.

More than 2,000 homes in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures are experiencing blackouts, Nippon TV reported.

This is a developing story — check back here for updates soon.

Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo; Larissa Gao reported from Hong Kong.