Strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake rocks Japan prompting tsunami warning

A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake — which measures as the "strongest" on the Japanese scale — rocked Japan on Monday prompting a tsunami warning for a broad swath of the country's western coast, The Japan Times reported.

The tsunami warning issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency urged people to quickly leave the coastal areas of Ishikawa, Niigata, Toyama and Yamagata prefectures, public broadcaster NHK reported.

A Tsunami of up to 5 metres high is believed to be reaching Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the weather agency.

"All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground," NHK said as waves more than 1 metre high hit the coast of the prefecture's Wajima City after the quake hit around 4:10pm.

Hokuriku Electric Power said it is checking for any irregularities at its nuclear power plants, while 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.

Meanwhile, after reports of the massive quakes, Ambassador of Pakistan Raza Bashir Tarar released a statement saying that the "situation in the earthquake-affected areas is being monitored."

All Pakistanis are said to be safe after the embassy contacted them, Tarar stated, adding that a hotline has been set up for Pakistanis to contact in any difficult situation.

The quake, which struck on New Year's Day, was felt in Tokyo and across the Kanto area.

Additionally, after Monday's earthquake in Japan, South Korea's Gangwon province warned residents to take precautions and evacuate to higher grounds.

Earlier, South Korea's meteorological agency warned of a potential rise in the sea level in some parts of the Gangwon province on the east coast.

Videos shared online showed strong tremors being felt across the Ishikawa prefecture.