More tsunami advisories issued after strong quake hit off NE Japan

TOKYO – More tsunami advisories were issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) early Saturday after a 7. 1 magnitude quake hit off Fukushima prefecture in northeastern Japan at around 2:11 a.m. local time.

The advisories cover the coast of Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki prefectures and Kujukuri and Sotoba area in Chiba prefecture, said the agency, adding the tsunami will be one meter high.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said that no new abnormalities had been detected at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and workers at the plant were ordered to evacuate from waterfront, according to Kyodo News.

The JMA has revised the magnitude of the quake to 7.1 on the Richter scale from the initial 6.8.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10 kilometers, was initially determined at 37.2 degrees north latitude and 144.6 degrees east longitude, about 290 kilometers east of Miyagi prefecture, the agency said.

The quake was registered at 4 on Japan’s seismic scale of 7 in some parts in Tohoku area and strong tremor was felt in Tokyo.